Carson Beck is no stranger to the weight of expectations. He entered the 2024 season, ultimately his last at Georgia, as the projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and a Heisman hopeful. In that case, he couldn’t live up to the billing. Then, after a hot start at Miami earned him a spot atop the Heisman Trophy betting odds, he has started to fade again.
Miami vaulted to the No. 2 spot in the recent AP Top 25 after a 26-7 win over Florida in Week 4, but Beck struggled to move the ball through the air against the Gators, dinging his Heisman odds, and even sparking questions about the health of his elbow after it required offseason surgery to repair a torn UCL he suffered in the SEC Championship Game for the Bulldogs in 2024.
Beck’s down week also happened to coincide with another ranked win for Oklahoma’s John Mateer, and a 63-10 masterpiece authored by Indiana transfer quarterback Fernando Mendoza against No. 9 Illinois in primetime. Mendoza completed 21 of his 23 attempts on Saturday night for 267 yards and five touchdowns and is suddenly the Heisman Trophy betting favorite.
The current betting favorite for the Heisman trophy is a student at Indiana University pic.twitter.com/Qe2xXaaYBT
— Undaunted Matt PacAfee (@matt_pacafee) September 21, 2025
When he was transferring from Cal, Mendoza took a visit to Georgia, contemplating becoming Beck's replacement in Athens, but opted for Indiana with a clear path to the starting job. Gunner Stockton is also a top Heisman candidate after Georgia's win over Tennesssee in Week 3.
Are the interception issues returning for Carson Beck
Last season, before the injury, Beck struggled with accuracy at Georgia, and more than that, he struggled to protect the football. Beck had a stretch midway through the season with nine interceptions over four games, including back-to-back three-interception outings against Texas and Florida.
Beck seemed to have gotten comfortable throwing to Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey, both of whom have established themselves as NFL stars, in 2023. That duo of pass catchers was particularly effective over the middle of the field, and without them on the roster in 2024, that’s where many of Beck’s turnovers came. Then, on Saturday, against a familiar foe, we saw a similar interception from the veteran QB.
CARSON BECK GETS PICKED OFF! pic.twitter.com/1OSNZDnECc
— Mr Matthew CFB (@MrMatthew_CFB) September 21, 2025
Beck has mostly put the bed the accuracy concerns from a season ago, completing well over 70 percent of his throws this season, and almost 80 percent heading into Week 4, but now there are velocity worries from a right arm with a reconstructed elbow.
CBS Sports’ Bud Elliot raised those concerns on the Week 4 instant reaction episode of the Cover 3 podcast, pointing to Beck’s interception over the middle as just one piece of evidence. It's certainly worth monitoring when the Hurricanes return from their Week 5 bye for a Week 6 ACC showdown with top-10-ranked Florida State in Tallahassee.
If Beck plays well and Miami beats the Seminoles, he could find himself back atop the Heisman conversation. If not, the award could be out of his reach with no big regular-season showcase games remaining on Miami’s schedule.