Miami's Mario Cristobal compares Carson Beck to No. 1 NFL Draft pick Cam Ward: 'There's a ton of similarity'
Miami is undergoing a significant transition at quarterback entering its pivotal 2025 campaign, as the Hurricanes have to replace Heisman Tropy finalist Cam Ward after he was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. To offset the loss of Ward, the Hurricanes dipped into the portal and signed veteran Georgia starter Carson Beck, who won 24 games and an SEC title with the Bulldogs.
Though Ward and Beck have different playing styles, Miami coach Mario Cristobal does see some notable similarities between the two.
"Cam couldn't care less about an award, a presentation -- it was obvious in the draft," Cristobal said in an interview with CBS Sports' Josh Pate. "He just wanted to hear his name, what time's the plane leaving, when do I land in Tennessee and when do I get the playbook. Along those lines, there's a ton of similarity with him and Carson."
Beck, who was the No. 4 overall prospect and No. 2 quarterback in 247Sports' Transfer Rankings, brings plenty of experience to the Hurricanes. He initially signed with Georgia in 2020, was a top backup quarterback on back-to-back national title teams from 2021-22 and started 27 games from 2023-24.
That experience means Beck should be comfortable picking up a new offense in relatively short order, just like Ward did when he transferred to Miami from Washington State ahead of the 2024 season.
"Both of their knowledge of the game. Their knowledge of the run game," Cristobal said. "Their knowledge of the protections involved in every single concept that we have. That has me, as a former offensive line coach, fully fired up."
Beck does need to improve if Miami wants to at least match its double-digit win total from a year ago and push for the first College Football Playoff appearance in program history. After a breakout first year as Georgia's starter in 2023, Beck took a bit of a step back last season.
His completion percentage ticked down almost eight points (72.4% in 2023 to 64.7% in 2024), he had fewer yards passing and he tied for the SEC lead with 12 interceptions.
"He wants to be pushed," Cristobal said of Beck. "He's not going to be disappointed. He'll get plenty of that here and he's going to be surrounded by guys that are likeminded that want to be elite at what they do and that they want to win big."
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