Ward raised his stock — and the Hurricanes’ — in one year at Miami. Can Beck do the same?

In a matter of just three months, Cam Ward very likely could hear his name called as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The quarterback raised his stock dramatically by taking a chance on himself, staying an extra year in college and putting up a stock-rising season with the Miami Hurricanes.

Carson Beck is hoping for that same trajectory.

After going from potentially a first-round pick to seeing his draft stock drop following inconsistent play this season and an elbow injury in the SEC Championship Game that required surgery, Beck opted to transfer from Georgia to Miami for his final season of collegiate eligibility.

Ward set most of the school’s single-season passing records, became a Heisman Trophy finalist and led the Hurricanes to a 10-3 record.

Can Beck, who went 24-3 as a starter at Georgia, replicate that success or even take UM further than Ward did? That remains to be seen.

But his decision to come to Miami is the first sign of what coach Mario Cristobal said he feels can be Ward’s impact on the Hurricanes can be “for generations to come.”

“It’s already paying dividends,” Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal said Monday of Ward’s impact on the program’s future. “It did in results; he’s a big reason why we won 10 games and had a chance to really win every game. And he also has led to belief in a program through exposure, through validation of systems in place that when surrounded with the right personnel, things can really take off. ... He elevated his stock. He elevated the University of Miami. He gained invaluable relationships. He has set the tone for what the standards, right? The expectation is going forward, as difficult as that might be in sound, but it’s already paid dividends in recruiting and people understanding that Miami is really serious about being a contender year in and year out.”

The pressure, and the opportunity, to continue that success now falls on Beck, who has the pedigree to do so but will need to take a step forward from where he was this season to live up to the expectations that will be put on him.

Beck was dominant in 2023, completing 72 percent of his passes for 3,941 yards and 24 touchdowns against six interceptions.

He took a step back in 2024. In 13 games, he completed 65 percent of his passes for 3,485 yards and 28 touchdowns but also threw 12 interceptions — tied for the most among quarterbacks at Power 4 schools this season — before sustaining a right elbow injury in the second half of the SEC Championship Game that required surgery to repair his ulnar collateral ligament.

But the raw talent is there. He has 51 pass plays of at least 30 yards over the past two years. He’s cerebral and knows when to audible at the line of scrimmage.

“He is athletic, he’s smart, he’s got superior arm talent, he’s accurate, he can extend plays, he can also sit in the pocket, he runs well,” Cristobal said. “He’s a great human being, and he has demonstrated leadership qualities. He’s really hard on himself, and he wants to be great. One of the best qualities is he wanted to be here at Miami. That’s gaining more and more value as we’re heading into this next generation of college football. You’ve got to want guys that want to be Miami Hurricanes as bad as they want to be anything else. The guy’s really geared and convicted of having team success. We see all those qualities in him and certainly looking forward to working with him.”

That work, at least for the time being, will be watching video and mastering the playbook. Beck isn’t cleared to throw just yet and likely will not participate in spring practices.

Cristobal said that Beck is “ahead of schedule” with his recovery but didn’t have a concrete timeline for when he will be participating on the field.

That said, Beck simply being around the team and building relationships with his team throughout the spring should serve as a springboard for when he is able to take part in live action.

“If you can’t practice, it’s certainly not optimal,” Cristobal said. “Cam Ward was really successful because he was around and he connected. And those relationships then drove a collective work effort, a collaborative effort of guys that want to be great and want to win. And [Beck] wants to be present and [do] everything that he possibly can. It’s critically important to be around. If you can’t throw, there’s still a lot of things you can do that lead up to the game or lead up to playing and practicing the game.”