Mario Cristobal had 2 Plan B options in mind before Miami QB Carson Beck signed

The Miami Hurricanes have their guy. Talented quarterback Carson Beck didn't take long to make his decision after entering the transfer portal, letting everyone know he's going to suit up for The U. Yep, this is a massive get for Mario Cristobal and his coaching staff.

With Cam Ward on his way to the NFL, and potentially being the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, Cristobal was looking to add a new QB1 this offseason. Emory Williams proved in the Pop-Tarts Bowl he's not quite ready to be the head guy in charge to run the offense.

As it turns out, though, Cristobal had some backup plans and Beck wasn't the only playmaker he had his eyes on. According to a report from CBS' Chris Hummer and John Talty, Miami would have had interest in both Quinn Ewers of Texas and USC's Jayden Maiava.

Miami landing Carson Beck was the best-case scenario for head coach Mario Cristobal

"People around the Miami program would have been interested in Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers and USC quarterback Jayden Maiava, among others, according to sources, but neither player entered the transfer portal," Hummer and Talty reported. "Ewers told ESPN in a pre-taped interview on Friday that he did not anticipate playing college football in 2025. 

"Miami ultimately zeroed in on Beck, who stiff-armed the NFL Draft and committed to Miami less than 24 hours after appearing in the transfer portal with a do-not-contact tag. There were no other serious suitors involved in the recruitment, per sources. "

While Ewers said that he doesn't plan on playing college ball in 2025, his performance in the Cotton Bowl already has people speculating that he'll enter the portal and delay going pro. He did himself no favors in the heartbreaking loss to Ohio State, with his stock surely plummeting. USC's Jayden Maiava isn't in the portal either, so who knows how things would have played out there.

What we do know, though, is that Beck zeroed in on Miami as soon as he decided he wanted to play one more season of college ball. That's not a surprise, as he can follow the same path Ward did with the Canes.

Ward skipped entering the draft last offseason, balled out for Cristobal and now he's in the hunt to hear his name called first come draft night. It's too early to tell how things are going to go for Beck in Coral Gables, but his $4 million NIL deal to play with Miami 100 percent is another reason it was smart for him to make the decision to play in the ACC next fall.