Mario Cristobal details what led Miami to taking Carson Beck

Carson Beck‘s decision to ultimately forgo the 2025 NFL Draft and instead bet on himself by transferring to Miami initially caught many around college football by surprise. But whether it was the alleged $4-plus million NIL offer or the opportunity to play in the NCAA’s top-ranked offense in 2024, Beck’s offseason move to Coral Gables is one many believe could pay off next season.

Still, given the way Beck’s disappointing 2024 season ended — with an ugly UCL injury just before halftime of the SEC Championship game against Texas — it’s certainly fair to question why Miami would go all-in on the 6-foot-4, 230-pound graduate. It’s just one season coming off a significant injury to his throwing elbow.

During a recent appearance on the Always College Football with Greg McElory podcast, ‘Canes head coach Mario Cristobal cleared the air about why Miami felt confident with signing Beck, who just recently returned to throwing after sitting out all Spring. McElroy acknowledged Beck “didn’t have his best stuff” at times in 2024, though plenty of his struggles last year at Georgia could be attributed to things breaking down around him, including a beleaguered Bulldogs offensive line.

For his part, Cristobal was in full agreement with McElroy’s assessment.

Mario Cristobal: Former Georgia QB Carson Beck ‘fits (in) perfectly’ at Miami

“He is a highly skilled guy and we feel we’re getting the best version of him. We feel we can protect him really well, and we feel what we do offensively – so much of our stuff is NFL-oriented as it relates to protections, our play-action game, our quick game and intermediate stuff. He fits it perfectly,” Cristobal said of Beck. “He’ll be surrounded by some really talented skill guys as well. We run the ball really well. We were, I believe, third in the country last year in yards per carry. And that opens up things differently.

“It’s just, systematically, similar to Cam (Ward), you know Cam did some great things at his prior stops, but he just really fit what we do really well. And that marriage, I think, is going to be really awesome for Carson, it’s going to be awesome for Miami,” Cristobal continued. “He’s healthy, he looks great. He’s got a strong arm now, he’s got a really, really strong arm. And he’s really smart. He’s very tied in (with) our offensive line coach, and those guys have a complete understanding of what we’re trying to do from a protection and run game standpoint, and that’s going to lead to a tremendous amount of success for our offense.”

Much like Beck, Ward famously transferred to Miami after opting out of entering the 2024 NFL Draft, only to see his stock skyrocket up draft boards before the Tennessee Titans made him the No. 1 overall pick in April. That came after Ward led the nation with 39 passing touchdowns and 4,313 yards on 67.2-percent passing in 2024, accounting for 347.5 yards per game of total offense to rank third in the FBS.

Beck, meanwhile, finished last season with 3,485 passing yards, 28 touchdowns and a SEC-worst 12 interceptions before his UCL injury. Of course, if Beck can make some of the same strides Ward did in 2024, it could mean even bigger things for both he and the Hurricanes in 2025.