FSU legend admits he was wrong about Carson Beck after Hurricanes defeat Seminoles

Danny Kanell changed his tune on Miami's quarterback, and he did it publicly after the Hurricanes' 28–22 win at Florida State. The former Seminoles QB posted that he doubted Carson Beck in the offseason — because of surgery, leadership questions, a new system and turnovers — but added, "I was wrong. He has been OUTSTANDING for the Canes."

"In the off season I had my doubts about Carson Beck at Miami. Major surgery. Leadership concerns. Learning new system. Turnover issues. I was wrong. He has been OUTSTANDING for the Canes."

Danny Kanell via X

Beck delivered a clean, veteran road performance against FSU on Saturday as he went 20-of-27 passing for 241 yards, four touchdowns and no turnovers. Miami built a 28–3 lead late in the third quarter and never gave it back, allowing just one sack while finishing plus-three in turnover margin.

Kanell is one of the leading voices in college football and while he may have been wrong about Beck in his offseason assessment, he has been quick to ackowledge Miami's success. He moved the Hurricanes to No. 1 in his personal "DK Top 12" after Week 6, citing the win and Beck's four touchdowns as the reason why. That's the sign of somebody who doesn't ignore what is happening on the field, even when it goes against a previous prediction. Through Week 6, Beck has 1,213 passing yards with 11 touchdowns and only three interceptions, good for a QBR of 84.4.

The "major surgery" piece of it all was a real concern for many people out there when evaluating Beck in the summer. He tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow in December while at Georgia and underwent surgery on Dec. 23, 2024. Georgia ruled him out for the College Football Playoff and Beck later entered the transfer portal and committed to Miami on Jan. 10. The early plan had him resuming throws in March and being fully cleared by the summer, which he hit on schedule. He and Miami's staff were up front about the rehab and the expectation, but a surgery to the throwing arm for a QB — even when successful — is bound to cause doubt until the on-field production returns.

The leadership narrative has flipped for Beck too. Miami's road win showed Beck's command of the offense and his performance has put him in the Heisman race. The way that Beck has been able to fit seemlessly into OC Shannon Dawson's offense is a testament to his involvement while injured. During the spring time there were multiple reports on how Beck was still a big part of the day-to-day even when he wasn't cleared to go at 100%.

Turnovers were a major issue for Beck last season at Georgia and pretty much haulted his NFL dreams for another year. This season he has cleared that up with just three interceptions through five games and zero in the rivalry win.

Now, unfortunately it must be said that there is still a lot of season left, so things could swing the other way. But the admission from Kanell, and the respect that he has given to the Hurricanes, is a breath of fresh air in the sports commentary world.