Carson Beck is now suiting up for the University of Miami. This decision to transfer to a university in the state of Florida marks a full-circle moment. He grew up in Jacksonville, Florida and graduated from Mandarin High School before heading to the University of Georgia.
The 2024 football season did not go well for Beck. He passed for 28 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and could not lead the Bulldogs to a national championship. During his career at Georgia, he passed for 58 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. Despite the disappointing year, his transfer to Miami positions him for a potential breakout year.
Beck now plays in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The ACC is widely considered to have less competitive teams than the Southeastern Conference, of which UGA is a member. This has Beck poised to have a career year. His transfer did not come without controversy though.
On Jan. 5, a post on Beck’s Instagram announced he will be declaring for the National Football League draft. On Jan. 9, sports media reported that he entered the transfer portal. Just a day later, he announced he was transferring to UM.
It was later reported by Sports Illustrated that Beck will receive $4 million in Name, Image and Likeness money. This has members of the college football community asking questions about NIL.
Micah Bennett, a marketing major at UNG’s Dahlonega campus, used the word “bribing” to describe college athletes getting paid and questions “the integrity of NIL” in situations like Beck’s.
“NIL is a double-edged sword. On one hand it has always been a problem that these student athletes were making millions for these universities but never saw a penny of it. That past system just was not fair which led to NIL. On the other hand though, NIL has also dulled down college sports to the point where recruits only pick the school that is offering the most money and not the best overall decision.”- Kooper Martin, a student on the University of North Georgia’s Oconee campus.
Beck’s deal has created discussions about the role of money in college sports. Adam Stanley, an esports coach at Brewton-Parker College, explained, “I think the market demanded that athletes be paid for the revenue they produce.” With that being said, he also acknowledged that schools with greater resources will ultimately outmatch those that do not, disrupting the “playing field.”
