We all know that Fran Brown is an ace recruiter, and we all know that Fran Brown was the defensive backs coach at Southeastern Conference powerhouse Georgia before leading Syracuse football to a 10-3 mark in the 2024 season as the Orange's first-year head coach.
So when news broke on Thursday that Georgia redshirt senior quarterback Carson Beck plans to enter the NCAA's transfer portal, according to various media reports, that did get me thinking just a little bit.
The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Beck, who hails from Jacksonville, Fla., I assume now becomes the top-ranked quarterback in the transfer portal this off-season. In 2024, Beck completed 64.7 percent of his attempts for 3,485 yards with 28 touchdowns against 12 interceptions.
He unfortunately suffered an injury in last month's SEC championship game and didn't compete in the College Football Playoff. Georgia fell, earlier this month, to Notre Dame in the CFP quarterfinals, and the Bulldogs finished this term at 11-3 overall.
Syracuse football boss Fran Brown used to coach at Georgia, and the Bulldogs' quarterback plans to hit the portal.
Per ESPN's Mark Schlabach, Beck had previously announced that he was entering the 2025 NFL Draft, but then on Thursday, Schlabach and others reported that Beck plans to enter the transfer portal. Schlabach wrote in part, "Beck announced his intentions of entering the NFL draft, but he has until Feb. 7 to remove his name from the draft by sending an opt-out letter to the league office."
While Miami looms as the favorite for Beck, a source said that Beck’s camp intends to listen to all potential suitors for the best situation: “It’s a strategic thing, not an emotional thing," the source said.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 9, 2025
Would the Orange staff pursue Beck? I don't pretend to have any inside information on that topic, but my assumption is that the 'Cuse isn't likely to make a run at him.
Ohio State, Texas Tech, and Miami are 3 teams to watch for Carson Beck once he enters the Transfer Portal, per @PeteNakos_👀https://t.co/AG3PYa31UT https://t.co/72rf6mXs4d pic.twitter.com/Qs98SpPM7B
— On3 (@On3sports) January 9, 2025
To that end, several reports on Thursday indicated that potential landing spots for Beck might include fellow Atlantic Coast Conference member Miami, Ohio State and Texas Tech.
My stellar colleague Andrew Boardwine of sister FanSided Web site Saturday Blitz, on Thursday, noted five possible emerging candidates to secure Beck's services, and they are Miami, Ole Miss, Notre Dame, North Carolina and Alabama.
I just want to reiterate that I don't envision Brown and his top-flight staff going after Beck, but Brown's recruiting prowess and ties to Georgia do have me curious.
Naturally, the main focus right now in the Orange's quarterback room for the 2025 season is whether record-setting senior quarterback Kyle McCord, a former four-star transfer from Ohio State, wins his appeal and gets a waiver from the NCAA to have the option to play a fifth stanza in college, presumably with Syracuse football.
This is a well-done piece from @ccarlsononSU on Kyle McCord and the larger issue of the NCAA discussing letting players in all sports have five seasons of eligibility. 🔽 https://t.co/VoZRGfy4cD
— InsideTheLoudHouse (@LoudHouseFS) January 9, 2025
Then again, even if McCord does get a waiver, Beck potentially playing in college for another season means there is one fewer quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft, so I'm not sure whether that helps the Orange's chances of McCord deciding to play on the Hill for another year, should he win his appeal with the NCAA.
By extension, the 'Cuse does have several signal-callers on its roster for 2025, such as LSU redshirt freshman transfer quarterback Rickie Collins, redshirt senior Michael Johnson Jr., who has received a hardship waiver from the NCAA to be eligible to play next term, freshman Jakhari Williams, and 2025 three-star commits Luke Carney and Rich Belin.