“He saw the writing on the wall”: Shannon Sharpe delivers verdict on Carson Beck after he joins Miami for $4 million

Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck will not be returning to Athens for his final season of NCAA eligibility. He opted to enter the transfer portal on Thursday, and less than 24 hours later, he announced that he would be taking his talents to the Miami Hurricanes. Beck reportedly signed an NIL contract worth $4 million.

On Saturday, former NFL players Shannon Sharpe and Chad "Ocho" Johnson released an episode of their podcast, "Nightcap." Sharpe talked about the transfer and why Beck decided to leave Georgia to go to Miami after four seasons with the Bulldogs.

"Yeah, but the thing is, Ocho, he saw the writing on the wall," Sharpe said (5:05). "He saw the writing on the wall because he didn't play as well this year as he did last year. And this ain't no ...

"In college football it used to be, 'OK yeah, you came and committed to us and you're a sophomore we're gonna give you a junior year. If you're a junior, we're gonna give you a senior year.' That ain't it no more.

"The way they got it set up now with this NIL. You on scholarship semester to semester. It normally was year to year. You basicaly signed a contract for one year at a time. Now that thing is semester to semester. It's too much money involved. It's too competive.

"Coaches are kind of handcuffed, Ocho, because you bench a guy, oh he's jumping in the portal. He gone. And he a five star, he gonna find a place to land, Ocho. He a four- or five-star."

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Carson Beck regressed in 2024 after his 2023 season

Although Carson Beck had a largely successful 2024 with the Bulldogs, leading them to a Southeastern Conference championship and a College Football Playoff berth, he had a worse season this year than in 2023.

In 2023, Carson Beck completed 302 of 417 passing attempts for a completion rate of 72.4%, throwing for 3941 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions. In 2024, he completed 290 of 448 passing attempts for a completion rate of 64.7%, throwing for 3485 yards, 28 TDs and 12 interceptions. It is worth noting that Beck played one more game in 2023 than he did in 2024.

The biggest issue Beck had this season was turnovers. He had a five-game stretch in the middle of the season when he threw 11 interceptions. The Bulldogs, ousted in the CFP quarterfinals by Notre Dame, have not decided who will take over as their quarterback next season.