Former Georgia Bulldogs starting quarterback Carson Beck is in line to make his first NFL start. Beck will make his NFL debut with the Arizona Cardinals, with former Cardinals starter Gardner Minshew II out for the season with a torn UCL. Beck will make his debut against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, Nov. 15 at 4:05 p.m. ET.
It took a ton of quarterback movement from the Cardinals to get here. They began the year with Jacoby Brissett as their starter, but Brissett led the Cardinals to a measly 2-5 record. After a rough first half against the Dallas Cowboys, when they were down 24-10, they benched him for Minshew II. He threw three touchdowns and led the Cardinals to a 33-30 comeback win against the Cowboys. Unfortunately, Minshew II suffered
a torn UCL the very next week in a 17-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, paving the way for Beck to start. Beck is projected to start for the Cardinals for the rest of the season with Arizona signing Josh Johnson off the street and having Joey Aguilar as a third-string option.
The Cardinals selected Beck No. 65 overall in the 2026 NFL draft. His first taste of overall NFL action came in the Hall of Fame game against the Carolina Panthers. He completed 15 of his 19 throws for 188 yards and a touchdown, nearly leading the Cardinals to a win. Former Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King had the last laugh, running in the game-winning touchdown for the Panthers.
He'll go against Matthew Stafford, a legendary former Georgia Bulldog quarterback. He's one of two Georgia players since 1953 to be selected first overall (Travon Walker), and he's one of two Georgia quarterbacks drafted in the first round (John Rauch). Stafford is backed up by former Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett, whom Beck replaced as Georgia's starter in 2023.
Beck had a solid career in a Georgia uniform. In 2021 and 2022, he backed up Bennett, winning back-to-back national championships with Georgia. In 2023, he led the SEC in yards (3,941) while throwing 24 touchdowns and six interceptions, but a rough performance in the 2023 SEC championship against Alabama prevented Georgia from going three straight, and he led Georgia to a 63-3 win against Florida State, the largest margin of victory in a bowl game in history.
2024 was a step back for Beck. He threw for 3,485 yards, 28 touchdowns, and an SEC-leading 12 interceptions, but he still helped Georgia reach an SEC championship. He tore his UCL in the first half of that SEC championship against Texas, giving way for Gunner Stockton to replace him as the starter at Georgia moving forward.
Beck entered the transfer portal after initially declaring for the 2025 NFL draft. He transferred to the Miami Hurricanes due to a loaded supporting cast and off-the-field reasons. With the Hurricanes, he bounced back. He threw for 3,813 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions on 467 attempts.
He led the Miami Hurricanes to a College Football Playoff spot, despite two bad losses against Louisville and SMU. In the playoffs, he led Miami to wins against Texas A&M, defending champion Ohio State, and Ole Miss, whom Georgia lost to earlier, to make it all the way to the national championship. Unfortunately, his interception issues popped up again against Indiana in the national championship. With Miami down 27-21 in the national championship and 1:42 left to go in the fourth quarter, Beck threw a game-losing interception. He'll look to shake off the brutal loss in his professional debut.
Carson Beck reacts to being named the starter
"When I got the call... I was ready to play right then and there" - @carsonbeck01 🙌 pic.twitter.com/hKbipqCUDW
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) November 11, 2026
"Obviously, this is a dream of mine," Beck said.
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This article originally appeared on UGA Wire: Former Georgia quarterback Carson Beck is now an NFL starting QB
