FRISCO, Tex. — Carson Beck was working on Saturday. He had work to do, too.
He was rotating around stations for the second day of the annual Elite 11 quarterback competition at the world training camp headquarters of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys.
The Georgia commitment is looking to elevate his game (and maybe even his national reputation) by having a great showing at the event. The 6-foot-4.5, 223-pound rising senior is currently rated as the nation’s No. 4 pro-style passer on the 247Sports Composite ratings.
That slots him as the nation’s No. 94 overall prospect on those same ratings. That’s a worthy feat, but it is a curious thing to see his size, skills and overall arm talent and also notice that there are seven quarterbacks in the country rated higher.
This is a week where the Florida resident can put in the work that jumbles up those ratings. He was at one time committed to playing baseball at Florida, then football at Alabama but things started to change when schools took full notice of his junior season at Mandarin High in Jacksonville.
Georgia, among other schools, finally got involved and that led him to his status with the program today. When Beck took the reins at Mandarin last fall, it meant the first time he was a full-time starting QB at the varsity level. He more than made the most of it.
He has a chance to do the same at the Elite 11. This event is a different thing this year. The nation’s top QB is not at the event. That’s Clemson commitment D.J. Uiagalelei. It has been reported that the baseball prospect has been dealing with a lingering injury coming out of that sport and he’s also got a team camp event to attend in California this weekend, too.
Elite 11 is a different thing this year. There are only 13 of the nation’s top 25 QBs in Texas this year. It marks the first time it has not been out in California, too. Uiagalelei was also the only QB this year with a 5-star rating, too.
He won’t be here, but seven of the nation’s top 10 rated quarterbacks will be, including Beck. The group also swells to nine of the nation’s top 15 quarterback prospects off that same 247Sports composite standard, too.
The Carson Beck resume
Beck is the first Georgia QB commit at the Elite 11 since Jake Fromm made the trip out West in June of 2016. (Justin Fields was not committed to UGA yet in the fall of 2017 when he was part of the Elite 11.)
His Mustangs finished the regular season at 6-4 after a tough 1-3 start. But by that point, he was rolling. Beck led his team to a state title in Florida’s largest playing classification.
He also picked up the state of Florida’s “Mr. Football” honor for his work that season. That’s a trophy that often goes to seniors. Not an underclassman.
But Beck was deserving of that honor after leading Mandarin to its first state title He did so after throwing for 3,546 yards, 39 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He completed almost 58 percent of his passes.
He didn’t play complete games at all in the playoffs due to a couple of blowouts. There was also that night in the playoffs where he threw for 474 yards in the first half of the FHSAA Class 8A state semifinals, too.
The 2020 UGA commit still threw for 1,495 yards, 17 touchdowns and two interceptions in the 2018 state playoffs. That includes a 25-for-36 outing for 330 yards, five touchdowns and zero picks in a 37-35 contest which secured the first state title in school history.
Mandarin High finished the previous season with a 2-8 mark. That helps to show the difference that Beck made in that team and why he earned that “Mr. Football” honor.
Check out Carson Beck on Day 2 at the Elite 11
Beck was working hard at the Elite 11 on Saturday and DawgNation was there. Here are some of our best images from the morning session.
The Elite 11 will resume on Saturday evening from 6pm-10pm CST.