ESPN analyst Greg McElroy pushed back on a popular 2024 narrative this week: that Carson Beck was the reason Georgia’s offense sputtered in big spots. On SportsCenter, McElroy argued the blame was misplaced, pointing to offensive-line inconsistency, a lagging run game, and an abnormal number of receiver drops as the real culprits. These factors led him to call Beck "a bit of a scapegoat at times." He also said Beck chose Miami because he liked how Shannon Dawson developed Cam Ward and believes the quarterback "will be really comfortable" in UM’s system.
"While a lot of people kind of pointed to him last year at Georgia and said, ‘Well, he’s the reason why we’re struggling offensively. He’s the reason why we’re inconsistent.’ What they’ve lost sight of is that the offensive line struggled at times – especially against top-tier competition – they couldn’t run the football and their wide receivers dropped more passes than anyone in the sport… I think Carson Beck was a bit of a scapegoat at times."Greg McElroy
At Georgia in 2024, Beck threw for 3,485 yards, 28 TDs, 12 INTs with an 80.9 QBR — production most programs would take in a heartbeat. His completion rate dipped from 72.4% to 64.7%, and a midseason turnover cluster hurt perception, but the overall line remained strong for a quarterback who has played in a ton of big games.
McElroy’s framing matters because of what Miami faces Sunday night. Notre Dame owned one of the nation’s toughest pass defenses last season — top-five by multiple measures — including No. 1 nationally in opponent passer rating and No. 4 in passing yards allowed. That’s the kind of secondary Beck draws in his Hurricanes debut, with chemistry still forming after he spent spring rehabbing. It isn’t hard to see why McElroy also tagged early WR timing as Miami’s “big question” for Week 1.
If you’re a Miami fan, McElroy’s comments should be read as context, not cover. Yes, some of Georgia’s 2024 issues were structural, but Beck still must sync a remodeled receiver room on the fly. The encouraging part is that Dawson’s offense gives quarterbacks simple answers. Hopefully for Beck, his strengths can show off immediately. And let's remember, Beck didn’t suddenly forget how to play quarterback — his situation got noisy and now he has a new home.