Miami quarterback Carson Beck is not afraid of the moment. In two seasons as a starter with the Bulldogs, he's won an Orange Bowl, won an SEC championship and played Alabama, Texas, Notre Dame and a host of others.
If there's been a big game in college football over the past two years, Beck has likely been in it.
And that's why Mario Cristobal is so high on him.
“Carson Beck has as good experience as a quarterback as you can have,” Cristobal said during his press conference at ACC Media Dsys. “He’s played in monster games, and he’s played at a high level. He’s ultra-competitive and his football IQ is off the charts. It didn’t take long to realize that he’s a team player and his work ethic is also through the roof.”
You can tell Mario Cristobal is bullish on his 2025 team https://t.co/IH2lErSUVy pic.twitter.com/j84CMrK8ic
— CaneSport Miami Hurricanes (@CaneSport) July 22, 2025
The Hurricanes have arguably the toughest schedule in the ACC. They open the season against Notre Dame and host Florida in Week 4 to close out their non-conference slate. The first conference game is against rival Florida State in Tallahassee.
Miami has six of its first seven games at home and doesn't leave the Sunshine State until November, but their first out-of-state game is against 2024 ACC Finalist SMU. The Hurricanes will avoid Clemson and Georgia Tech during the regular season.
The good news is Beck says he's completely healthy and up for the challenge.
Miami QB Carson Beck says he doesn’t feel any pressure replacing No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward.
— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) July 22, 2025
“To have the opportunity to go out and play football again, I haven’t done it in a while so I’m looking forward to it.” pic.twitter.com/TS4yqtW0Y0
There weren't too many things to complain about with Cam Ward last season - he was a record-setting quarterback that finished top five in Heisman voting. But as the season was coming down the stretch and the importance of each game magnified, Ward could only do so much. At times, maybe he tried to do too much, or Miami was asking too much out of him.
Beck should have a better running game around him and a more experienced offensive line. But when the big moments come, he will lean on his experiences of playing in the SEC, which is one thing Ward didn't have.
“I think as the years go on I look back to my freshman year of college, second year, third year – as each year goes on you get better and better, more accumulated reps," Beck said at ACC Media Days. "Some of the defenses I was going up against at Georgia were some of the best defenses ever put together. There’s a lot of experience I can bring to the table. I’m really excited, excited what I am able to bring to the table for this team.”