Georgia quarterback Carson Beck is primed for a big season in Athens, with Heisman Trophy hopes on the line.
Earlier this week, Las Vegas oddsmakers named Beck one of the frontrunners to win college football’s most coveted individual award, giving the Jacksonville, Fla. native +800 odds to secure the Heisman.
Regardless, Beck said he hasn’t put too much thought into potentially achieving such an accomplishment. Last week at the Southeast Conference Media Days in Dallas, he was more concerned about the Bulldogs’ fall camp.
“Yeah, for me, I like to put my focus on the team around me and focus on what’s actually important,” Beck said.
Beck completed 72.4 percent of his passes for 3,941 yards and 24 touchdowns in his first season as a full-time starter last year. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound quarterback is primed to surpass those numbers this season.
Despite losing key pieces from last year’s offense in Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey, Georgia returns a ton of talent in 2024. The Bulldogs ranked fifth nationally in total offense and scoring offense last year.
With talent such as Dominic Lovett, Rara Thomas, Oscar Delp, Anthony Evans, and Dillon Bell returning and the additions of Trevor Etienne and Benjamin Yurosek, Beck will have plenty of chances to make plays.
Beck loves the depth Georgia’s offense brings into the season but wonders who else will step up this year.
“Yeah, there’s so much depth on our offense, and there’s so much talent that there’s not one or two names that I could pronounce right now, which excites me as a quarterback,” he said. “I’m very excited to see who those guys will be that step up and make those big-time plays and moments.
“We have a lot of big games coming up this year, so who’s going to step up? Who’s going to be that guy; who’s going to be the go-to guy? Or is there one? Is everybody going to contribute equally, which is kind of what we saw last year?”
Head coach Kirby Smart said Beck has grown significantly in the offseason. He’s seen Beck become a more effective leader.
“He takes wideouts down and throws with them. He meets with them. That part checks the box,” Smart said. “The biggest thing he could do is maybe start to affect younger players in how he studies, manages the defense, and helps them at times lead, because he’s got to take it to another level to take us where we want to go.”
Beck’s goal is to help the Bulldogs return to the SEC Championship game, then the College Football Playoff, and hopefully win a third national championship in four years. He saw what Stetson Bennett did up close.
Beck has a tattoo on his leg that says, “The sky is the limit.”
“I think it’s self-explanatory for me. The sky’s the limit. There is no limit to progressing and getting where I want to be. So, if you shoot for the sky, there is no ceiling,” Beck said. “I feel like that’s how I try to approach my game and myself as a person. If I say the sky is the limit, it’s self-explanatory. There isn’t a limit. It’s going to be a never-ending progression. You’re just constantly trying to chase that.”