It’s all Carson Beck’s fault. He’s selfish, wasn’t a good teammate, wasn’t the same, dependable player after signing an NIL deal and driving a Lamborghini around Athens.
There, feel good, Georgia fan?
Now, some harsh truth: when Beck, the former Georgia quarterback, decided last week to enter the transfer portal after initially declaring for the NFL draft, the first team and coach to try and secure him – the very first – was Georgia and Kirby Smart.
A person close to Beck’s decision making, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the process, told USA TODAY Sports that not only was Georgia at the front of the line for Beck – who has been eviscerated by Georgia fans on social media since the Bulldogs’ early exit from the College Football Playoff – but SEC heavyweight Alabama was next to call.
The easy answer is the quarterback. The difficult reality is the coach, and the roster built around the quarterback.
Georgia’s typically dominant offensive line was inefficient all season, and struggled in pass protection. The Georgia receivers, never really a team strength in nine seasons under Smart, were exposed week after week through a difficult SEC schedule.
Then the College Football Playoff began, and Georgia – playing without Beck, who sustained a season-ending elbow injury in the SEC championship game – looked like it didn’t belong in an embarrassing loss to Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl quarterfinal.
Georgia scored 10 points against the Irish, rushed for 62 yards on 29 carries and got a meaningless 200-yard passing game from backup quarterback Gunner Stockton. The offense under Smart never looked more inept.
The problem is, that CFP loss was simply the final ugly performance from an offense that was dysfunctional all season. But for a second-half performance in a loss to Alabama, and the overtime win over Georgia Tech, it was a mess.
The Georgia receivers finished the season with 31 drops, according to Pro Football Focus, and senior Arian Smith led Power Four conference players with 10. Georgia had its worst rush offense in nine seasons under Smart, finishing 102nd in the nation and averaging just 124.4 yards per game.
That number – ready for this? – is 50 yards less than the worst output prior under Smart. Wait, it gets worse.
Georgia gave up 25 sacks this season, the most of any team under Smart. Or as guard Dylan Fairchild said after the loss to Notre Dame: “We gave up too many sacks, gave up too many pressures, didn’t run block efficiently enough.”
So how did Georgia get here? Smart historically hasn’t recruited well at wide receiver, which is the one area where his mentor, Nick Saban, dominated. It got so bad last season, Georgia’s top three receivers were from the transfer portal: RaRa Thomas, Colbie Young and Dominic Lovett.
Thomas was arrested prior to the season, and never played a down. Young was arrested in early October, and only played the first five games of the season. Lovett was a possession receiver and had six drops, according to PFF.
Smith, the only true No. 1 receiver on the team, couldn’t be counted on by November.
Smart signed five wide receivers in December, and has signed three from the transfer portal, including Zachariah Branch of USC and Noah Thomas of Texas A&M, two of the top receivers available. Clearly, it’s a priority now.
Smart began this past season declaring Georgia would throw the ball more, opening up the offense for Beck and offensive coordinator Mike Bobo. Beck would be given more freedom at the line of scrimmage to get the offense out of bad plays, and the offense would move away from its run-based sets of the past.
Beck began the season on top of most NFL draft boards at the quarterback position, but by the end of the season, had slipped to a projected mid-round pick. Some of that had to do with the elbow injury – and ulnar collateral ligament surgery has a six-month rehabilitation process – but his performance also raised red flags.
Beck’s yards, rating, completion percentage and average per attempt dropped from 2023, while his interceptions increased. Georgia went from rolling anything in its path in 2023, to squeezing out wins over Kentucky, Mississippi State, Florida and Georgia Tech.
The fall guy, of course, was Beck. Because all quarterbacks are to blame, and all get too much credit.
If there’s any doubt about that, look who contacted Beck first when he entered the transfer portal.
Miami has an experienced and talented offensive line returning, and you better believe the Canes didn’t spent $4 million on a one-shot NIL deal without future moves in focus. Miami won’t begin the 2025 season with a current roster full of young and inexperienced receivers.
The Canes, more than likely, will make moves in the portal to surround Beck with weapons at wide receiver.
The very thing Georgia should have done all along.
Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.