When Miami head coach Mario Cristobal was asked about Carson Beck’s recovery, his tone was positive—kind of.
While Cristobal spoke highly of Beck’s work ethic and progress, there was still an important caveat: Beck won’t throw in the spring game.
“I don’t know. I know he’s throwing some other things, you know, he’s doing those other rehab contraptions, those balls or whatnot, and it’s right there,” Cristobal said. “I mean, we feel great about it. He’s taking part, not only in walkthrough, but also in team … drills and allowed to hand the ball off for every progression … relentlessly watching film, excited about him … I think you know what I’m saying, we’re getting there. He won’t throw in the spring game.”
So yeah, it’s definitely progress—but not the kind Miami fans were hoping for this spring. Beck, who transferred to Coral Gables after a UCL injury ended his Georgia season, is clearly doing everything he can behind the scenes. But his actual on-field reps remain limited, and that brings up some legitimate concerns as the Hurricanes try to build around a brand-new starting quarterback.
Why this should concern Miami fans for the 2025 season
Look, you can be excited about what Carson Beck might bring to the table and still be a little nervous about how things are playing out.
A lot of Miami fans seem eager to shrug this off—“he’s taking mental reps!” or “he’ll be fine by fall!”—but that kind of optimism only goes so far when your starting quarterback hasn’t taken a single meaningful rep in your new offense all spring.
We’re not just talking about missing a few practices. Beck hasn’t thrown in live drills. He’s not taking reps in scrimmage. And now, he won’t even appear in the spring game. That matters. Because for a transfer quarterback, spring is where you start to build chemistry with your receivers, understand the offensive line’s communication, and most importantly—take command of the offense.
Even Cristobal, as encouraging as he was trying to sound, couldn’t put a real timeline on Beck’s full return. That adds to the uncertainty, especially when you consider how long the rehab is taking. Beck was initially called “ahead of schedule,” but here we are in April, and it still doesn’t feel like he’s close to 100%. That’s not the worst-case scenario, but it’s definitely behind where some people assumed he’d be by now.
Sure, Beck has the summer and fall camp to get healthy. But the longer it takes, the more questions arise. Is he going to be ready to command this offense in Week 1 against Notre Dame? Will he be able to shake off the rust quickly, or are we looking at a situation where Miami’s offense takes several weeks—maybe even the first month of the season—before it truly finds its rhythm?
We're not talking about a situation here where you have a veteran starter who has been around the system for a long time. We're talking about a quarterback who has never played essentially with anyone on the team and is learning a totally new system. Has Beck played a lot of football? Yes, and of course, that helps. But, let's not pretend that this is just no big deal and something that couldn't come back to bite Miami with all the moving parts this coming season.
So while there’s no need to panic just yet, let’s not pretend everything’s smooth sailing either. A starting quarterback unable to throw in the spring is never ideal—especially when you’re counting on that quarterback in his first year in the system to elevate your entire offense in the fall.