"Our defense was ridiculous": When Carson Beck shared eye-catching story on waiting for his chances at Georgia

Carson Beck has been backed by a strong defense during his tenure as the Georgia Bulldogs quarterback. Yet, the defense has helped Beck in more ways than one, as we look back at how the quarterback considered the unit helped him improve in a 2023 interview.

Before his first start facing the Florida Gators in October 2023, Beck talked about the defense in an interview with Tim Tebow. There, the quarterback talked about how he was able to improve his game in large part to the unit’s performance in practice.

“When I came in, our defense was just ridiculous. I’d go against the (No.) 1 defense, and I’d have no clue of what’s going on," Beck said.

“The speed of the game, which was so fast, and seeing what our defense does – they are so multiple in what they do –helped me to catch up So, now it feels like seeing different defenses, seeing, you know, different looks that people are trying to do, I think that would be the biggest area I improved on.”

Carson Beck’s praise for the Bulldogs’ defense should come as no surprise, as it has been one of the nation's top units since he arrived at Athens in 2020.

From 2021 to 2023, Georgia was the only team in the nation to finish each season ranked in the top five in total defense. The 2021 season was their finest, as the team finished second in the country, allowing 267.9 yards per game.

Such was the talent from the 2021 D that 18 players from that national championship defense have been drafted since 2022. Among the most familiar names are Travon Walker, Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Nolan Smith, Quay Walker, Nakobe Dean and Devonte Wyatt.

Georgia’s top five defense streak figures to be coming to an end this year, though, as the Dawgs rank 35th in the nation, allowing 332.1 ypg. The fifth-ranked Bulldogs (10-2) still have to face the second-ranked Texas Longhorns (11-1) for the SEC championship on Saturday.

The Bulldogs are still in a good position to make the College Football Playoff, as they came into Week 14 ranked seventh by the CFP selection committee, but should get bumped up on Tuesday after Week 14 losses by Miami and Ohio State.

Carson Beck decided to wait for a chance in Georgia

In that same interview, Carson Beck talked about what swayed him to go to Georgia, even though he wouldn’t be able to play right away.

“I just always felt like it was the right option here, and when I chose to come here initially, I knew that maybe I am going to have to wait to play," Beck said. "And ultimately that benefitted me as far as being ready to go out.”

The Mandarin High School (Jacksonville, Florida) quarterback was a four-star recruit and chose to go to Georgia over schools like Alabama and Florida.

Carson Beck had to wait three years until getting the starting job, as he got to watch from the sideline as Stetson Bennett led the Bulldogs to national titles in 2021 and 2022.