Greg McElroy: Carson Beck became 'a bit of a scapegoat at times' at Georgia in 2024

One of this offseason’s biggest transfer portal additions will make his debut this week. Carson Beck will suit up for Miami for the first time Sunday after spending the last five years at Georgia.

Beck became the top player to enter the portal this cycle, according to the On3 Industry Transfer Rankings, and will go up against redshirt freshman CJ Carr in the opener against Notre Dame. When asked who he trusts more in that game, ESPN analyst Greg McElroy chose Beck – and pointed out some reasons behind his up-and-down 2024 season at UGA.

During an appearance on SportsCenter Tuesday, McElroy called out the idea of Beck being a problem with Georgia’s offense last year. He instead pointed to other factors such as the offensive line and dropped passes from wide receivers as reason Beck became “a bit of a scapegoat” among a group of fans.

“Whie a lot of people kind of pointed to him last year at Georgia and said, ‘Well, he’s the reason why we’re struggling offensively. He’s the reason why we’re inconsistent.’ What they’ve lost sight of is that the offensive line struggled at times – especially against top-tier competition – they couldn’t run the football and their wide receivers dropped more passes than anyone in the sport,” McElroy said. “I think Carson Beck was a bit of a scapegoat at times.

“Now, he gets new lease on life at Miami. Part of the reason why he went there is he watched how Cam Ward developed under offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson. I think he’s going to be really comfortable in the system.”

Greg McElroy’s ‘big question’ for Carson Beck, Miami

Billed as a potential No. 1 overall draft pick entering last year, Beck had an up-and-down season. He set a new career-high with 28 touchdowns, but saw his completion percentage drop to 64.7% as he threw for 3,485 yards. He also led the SEC with 12 interceptions with a rough patch mid-year.

Now with a fresh start at Miami, McElroy said the Hurricanes have the ability to lean on the run game – something Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman alluded to in his press conference. But the big question will again come at receiver because of potential chemistry issues with a new group. After all, Beck was working his way back from an injury during spring practice.

“Like Marcus Freeman just said [in his press conference], they can run the football, take some of the pressure off the passing game,” McElroy said of Miami’s offense. “But the big challenge will be bringing in a very inexperienced group of wide receivers. Not a lot of chemistry that was built up because Carson Beck was rehabbing an elbow injury all offseason.

“So can they get on the same page against an elite pass defense in Notre Dame? That’s the big question going into Sunday night.”