Georgia quarterback Carson Beck will forgo his remaining year of eligibility and enter the 2025 NFL Draft, he announced on social media Saturday.
The 22-year-old played the last game of his college career in Georgia’s 22-19 SEC championship victory on Dec. 7, when Beck sustained an injury to his UCL on the final play of the first half that required season-ending surgery. Beck returned for the final, game-winning play — a handoff to running back Trevor Etienne — after backup QB Gunner Stockton had to sit out a play after his helmet came off.
Beck led the SEC with 28 touchdown passes this season, adding 3,485 passing yards against 12 interceptions in 13 games. He went 24-3 as a starter in his Georgia career, winning two national championships in 2021 and 2022 behind starting QB Stetson Bennett.
“The past five years at the University of Georgia have been nothing short of a dream come true and I will forever cherish the memories that have been made,” Beck said in a statement. “Thank you Dawg Nation for the time I’ve been here and to those who’ve supported and believed in me, thank you. It’s been an incredible journey and all these moments have ultimately led me to take the next step in my football career.”
Beck entered the season as the potential No. 1 pick after passing for 3,941 yards last season, his first as Georgia’s starter. His accuracy dipped while his completion percentage and passing yards decreased, but Beck still offered a strong arm and big-game experience.
“Obviously when you look at the stats they aren’t the same stats as last year. But the goal, when you’re in this league, is to win the SEC Championship, and he was the quarterback in that game who got us to that game, and put us in that position,” Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said.
“Every game isn’t going to be pretty, but his resiliency in every game, whether it went good or bad, to get over things, whether of his doing, of my doing, or the right guard, or drops, to be resilient and help us win football games in the fourth quarter, says a lot about our team and him.”
One NFL scout who has spent two decades in the business and was granted anonymity to speak honestly about Beck’s draft trajectory told The Athletic in November that Beck was his and his NFL team’s top-rated QB coming into this season. The scout said “there was a chance (Beck) was going to sneak into the late first round last year,” but that he was no longer his team’s top choice because of “the combination of the lack of mobility and the lack of poise.” The scout called Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders “the cleanest” QB.
Beck and the Bulldogs opened the season strong, blowing out then-No. 14 Clemson 34-3, but once SEC play began Beck started struggling with turnovers. Beck threw double the picks this season compared to last.
But Beck also faced some of the toughest competition in the country. Georgia played one of the hardest schedules, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index, and faced top defenses in Texas, Ole Miss, Alabama, Auburn and Tennessee.
One SEC defensive coordinator told The Athletic earlier this week: “People have given (Beck) a hard time, but I think he’s good and he’s really accurate. He tried to put some stuff into really tight windows and he forced some stuff. (The Bulldogs are) not as good at receiver as they’ve been. They’re not what they’ve been the last couple of years.”
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Beck is expected to make a full recovery and begin throwing in the spring of 2025, the school said. His surgery was performed by renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles.
No. 2 Georgia plays No. 7 Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal on New Year’s Day.
“There’s unfinished business still this season and I’ll be here to support however I can, finish strong!” Beck said.
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