Carson Beck, a former Georgia quarterback, was one of the most high-profile additions to the NCAA Transfer Portal this winter. Beck initially declared for the NFL Draft, but then opted to enter the portal, and within 24 hours, he had committed to play for Miami.
However, according to Matt Hayes of USA Today, Alabama contacted Beck as soon as he entered the gateway.
“A person close to Beck’s decision making, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the process, told USA Today Sports that not only was Georgia at the front of the line for Beck – but SEC heavyweight Alabama was next to call.”
Matt Hayes
It is hardly surprising that Alabama may have expressed interest in the outstanding Bulldogs transfer. Beck is a terrific match for Kalen DeBoer’s offence and was anticipated as a first-round pick before this season before suffering with turnovers and an elbow injury suffered in the SEC Championship game.
However, it is the first time this offseason that the Crimson Tide has been linked to a quarterback outside of the gateway. Perhaps they’ve done an excellent job keeping others quiet, but Alabama’s interest in Beck is perplexing and concerning on several levels.
Alabama’s interest in Beck reflects the coaching staff’s lack of faith in Ty Simpson and the 2025 quarterback room in general. There’s a lot of buzz surrounding 5-star recruit Keelon Russell, but depending on a true freshman at quarterback is dangerous. Especially in this crucial year for DeBoer and the program’s future.
Simpson is beginning his fourth year in the program and was once a highly ranked recruit. However, despite Jalen Milroe’s troubles, Simpson has been unable to get on the field in recent years.
In fact, Alabama was so anxious about its quarterback situation in 2023 that Nick Saban and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees recruited Tyler Buchner from Notre Dame. Buchner started over Milroe and Simpson in a nearly disastrous game versus USF. Simpson came off the bench and performed well in relief, and Buchner returned to Notre Dame after the season ended.
It’s hardly surprising that DeBoer and company aren’t the most confident in Simpson, but why wait until now to try to find a quarterback? This cycle, there were plenty of outstanding signal-callers available on the Transfer Portal who could have helped the Crimson Tide improve.
Washington State’s John Mateer, California’s Fernando Mendoza, and USC’s Miller Moss, among others, appeared to be good fits for DeBoer’s offence. It is likely that Alabama contacted all three through back methods, but no interest was disclosed.
Perhaps DeBoer saw Beck as an obvious enhancement given his pedigree and was ready to take the risk of losing Simpson and bringing him in. Beck is a proven SEC quarterback; they don’t grow on trees.
It’s possible that DeBoer sees Simpson, Austin Mack, or Russell as better choices than the rest of the portal quarterbacks this cycle, but he done his homework on Beck because he’s prepared to go to any length to improve the roster, even if it means alienating an existing player.
That’s the optimistic outlook. The negative position is that Alabama is unsure whether it will be good enough at quarterback in 2025 and now has little meaningful opportunity to enhance that department with the portal window nearly closed.
It’s also reasonable to wonder whether this story is real or not. Hayes’ source is certainly from Beck’s camp, and Alabama is usually a popular name to throw about. Many recruits have proclaimed pledges to Alabama despite not having received a formal offer from the Crimson Tide.
Alabama will deny any communication, as they should, regardless of the facts. It is pointless to alienate Simpson at this moment.
Leave a Reply