This week is homecoming week for Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck, not for Florida or Georgia. He will start the yearly rivalry game in the center of his hometown against a team he was considering joining from within the state. Beck will soon make his college quarterback debut in Jacksonville, but it will take some time. The last time he played in Duval County was in October 2019, a week before his high school career ended due to a first-round playoff exit, after his Mandarin Mustangs defeated the Fletcher Senators.
Prior to and during the 2020 signing period, when his nine-month verbal commitment to the Bulldogs was inked, his services were sought after by numerous institutions, including Florida and Georgia especially. Prior to it, he had made pledges to play baseball for UF and, in between, to play both sports for Alabama. “It is evident why [Beck] was among the top quarterbacks in the nation upon his release,” stated Billy Napier, the head coach of Florida who succeeded the recruiting team that brought Beck to Gainesville, on Wednesday. According to 247Sports, Beck was the class of 2020’s unanimous No. 9 passer.
Beck threw for 5,489 yards and 59 passing touchdowns in two seasons at Mandarin. In his first season at the school, he scored 41 points in all during the Mustangs’ 2018 state title run, which came after the team finished 2-8 and missed the playoffs the previous year. Upon Beck’s recruiting to Georgia, Smart remarked on Monday, “What we liked was his leadership.” “He won a state championship at a Jacksonville school where not many teams had won in the hardest division in Florida.
“Considering the level of competition, it was rather amazing what he accomplished at Mandarin in terms of leadership and quarterbacking against some quite talented high school football teams. We were drawn to him because of his attitude and methodical approach to the game.” Before Beck could start to demonstrate that his high school scouting report was accurate, former Bulldogs quarterback Stetson Bennett IV had to undergo three seasons of development and observation.
For Beck, the trade-off was ultimately worthwhile. As Bennett and the all-star Georgia team won back-to-back national titles, he was able to hone his skill set at his own speed. In an attempt to become the first team in college football history to win three national titles in a row, Beck has assisted in extending Georgia’s school record 24-game winning run and its SEC record 19 consecutive weeks atop the AP Top 25.
In his first year as a starter, Beck has completed 73.6% of his passing attempts for 2,147 yards and 12 touchdowns with four interceptions. He is the leader of Georgia’s No. 2 passing offense in the SEC. On the ground, he has added three more scores. “He feels at ease using their system now. Beck has demonstrated skill with his arms, accuracy, and ability to make some good plays with his feet, according to Napier. As he becomes more at ease and experiences more, he has improved every week. You can sense his self-assurance rising.”
