DALLAS - Carson Beck never honestly stopped believing he'd get his shot at Georgia. But three years ago, he faced some serious doubts.
Beck went into the 2021 season believing he had the backup quarterback job. With JT Daniels banged up, Beck spent the week ahead of Georgia's matchup with UAB anticipating his first career start.
But the day before the game, the coaches told Beck that Stetson Bennett would be starting instead.
"I didn’t handle it well at all," Beck said. "I didn’t talk to anybody. I went home, I didn’t talk to anybody. I was very upset. Obviously, I did not perform the way I wanted to because I didn’t, I wasn’t mature enough to handle the information of not starting. I was ready to start. I was so hyped. The whole entire week I was like, I’m about to start my first game, let’s go. Then just a day before the game, I got told that I’m not going to be the starter."
Beck admitted he spent much of that season feeling sorry for himself. Now just short of three years later, he is representing Georgia at SEC Media Days as a "great example of college football" according to his head coach.
"The day and age when you go somewhere and you jump school to school, it's a popular trend, this kid stuck it out," Kirby Smart said. "He lost the starting job to Stetson Bennett the week of the UAB two years ago, and then said you know what? I'm sticking with it. I'm going to persevere. I am going to show resiliency, which is one our core traits, and he did that. He was able to monetize that as well by staying and succeeding where his feet are. He is a great elder for us and great example of resiliency in college football."
Beck got a taste of playing time through the 2022 season. But the real growth came away from gameday.
Smart emphasizes the importance of the practice reps Georgia provides to every player on the roster. Beck is perhaps the best example of how these reps can develop a player.
"We think the process we go through of the off-field training, on-field training, weight room training, football training is gonna pay off in the years they have been there. Carson is a great example of that," Smart said. "All the years of practice and third down and pressure periods and blitz pickups paid off when he got to start."
Now Beck has gone from the shadows to the spotlight.
After a breakout 2023 season, Beck is one of the faces of the Georgia program. That comes with off-field fame as well, with his Lamborghini courtesy of an NIL deal just one example.
Beck said he blocks the outside noise by focusing mainly on his team and how he can get them better. This year, more than last, he believes this is truly his team from a leadership perspective.
"I think last year, I really leaned on Sedrick (Van Pran), our center, because he had that leadership role," Beck said. "He had accumulated and built that continuity with the teammates. He gained that trust, he had that respect from everyone where he could have that vocal say. Me, I was the new guy on the block. I was the new quarterback, I wanted to build that respect and trust as well. Going through it and having a year under my belt now, I think that I’ve been able to earn that from my teammates and I can step into more of a vocal role."
Beck has tattoos on his left leg. There etched in ink are the words "Sky's the limit."
As he heads into his final season at Georgia, one he hopes will end with a national championship and lead to a high pick in the NFL Draft, Beck is following those words more than ever.
"I feel like that's kind of how I try to approach my game and myself as a person is that if I say the sky is the limit, it's kind of self-explanatory," Beck said. "There isn't a limit. It's going to be a never-ending progression. You're just constantly trying to chase that."
