Big Picture: Carson Beck’s Capstone and Miami’s Pursuit of a New QB Collide

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — The fight song blared and echoed through a cavernous space inside the Miami Beach Convention Center on Saturday morning as head coach Mario Cristobal guided his players into a media frenzy to preview the College Football Playoff national championship game. Throngs of Miami fans, reveling in the overdue resurrection of their beloved No. 10 Hurricanes, lined the roped perimeter for a chance to glimpse some heroes up close, autograph paraphernalia eagerly extended. There was pomp and circumstance and — just beneath the sunny-day surface — a percolating news story that cuts to the core of modern college football’s absurdity. 

Roughly 16 hours prior, on Friday afternoon, Duke quarterback Darian Mensah authored a stunning twist by submitting his request for transfer paperwork shortly before the two-week window for entry was set to close at midnight. "This wasn’t an easy decision," Mensah wrote in a message on social media, "but after talking with my family, I believe it's in my best interest to enter the transfer portal." 

Almost immediately, rumors and legitimate media reports alike began connecting Mensah, who threw for 3,973 yards and 34 touchdowns while leading the Blue Devils to an ACC championship this season, with the obvious quarterback vacancy at Miami for the 2026 campaign. Current Hurricanes' starter Carson Beck, a handsomely paid transfer in his own right, will be completing his collegiate career in the national championship game against No. 1 Indiana at Hard Rock Stadium on Monday night after six long seasons. 

"Anything related to the future," Cristobal said, "we choose respectfully not to comment on because for us, all that matters right now is this team and this opportunity. So we'll leave it at that, if that’s OK."

Cristobal’s stance became the unofficial party line during an hour-long, team-wide media session that included plenty of fascinating football conversation but was also tinged by whispers about the multi-million-dollar elephant in the room. Offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson — who spent considerable chunks of time explaining his thorough evaluations and recruitment of both Beck and last year’s starting quarterback, Cam Ward, another transfer — said he hasn’t been involved with potential portal targets over the last two weeks because "my focus is strictly on the game." Several Hurricanes players echoed that message when asked about the Miami-centric rumors now swirling on social media. 

And in the middle of it all was Beck, one of roughly a dozen Miami players seated at their own podiums on Saturday in reflection of the significant role he’s played in elevating the Hurricanes to their first national title game appearance since 2002. Beck stunned the college football world last January when he reversed course and entered the transfer portal after originally declaring for the NFL Draft following two years as Georgia’s starter. A significant ulnar collateral ligament injury in his throwing elbow required Beck to undergo surgery following the SEC championship game, drastically affecting his draft stock, at which point he opted for another year in college predicated on a change of scenery and an NIL deal reportedly worth around $3 million. Beck is now one victory away from capturing his third national title for a satisfying redemptive arc in the sport's modern era, even if two of those championships came as a reserve for the Bulldogs.

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"There was never really a thought until, obviously, the injury of me coming back to college," Beck said. "If you asked me all last year throughout the season, that was never in my plan. I'd already been in college for five years. I started two full seasons. For me, my goal was to ultimately go to the NFL, and that's always been a dream of mine. After the injury, it kind of changed my mindset, changed what my future was going to look like. The opportunity to come to Miami presented itself once I entered the transfer portal, and I made that decision, and here we are. It's really worked out well."

A chunk of the discourse surrounding Miami's playoff run has revolved around teammates and coaches walking reporters through Beck's transformative year with the program. He turned in perhaps his steadiest performances of the season in consecutive victories over No. 7 Texas A&M, No. 2 Ohio State and No. 6 Ole Miss in the last month while producing five total touchdowns and only one interception. 

So there sat Dawson, the offensive mastermind, raving about Beck’s ability to advance through progressions, find throwing lanes from the pocket and "trigger through it with accuracy," which the coach described as the bedrock in his formula for quarterback evaluation and something that "99% of the people screw it up." Dawson said Beck’s football IQ is "off the chart" and believes his instant recognition skills are among the fastest that Dawson has ever coached. 

There sat Cristobal, the program architect, praising the way Beck attacked his rehab all spring to earn his teammates' trust while unable to participate in practice. Cristobal encouraged Beck to don full pads for every session, even when he couldn’t throw a ball, and stand right behind the offense during drills to learn the system as quickly as possible. 

There sat Francis Mauigoa, the mountainous right tackle, gushing over the way Beck adjusts offensive line calls and protections before the snap, which helped solidify the group's faith in his overall football intelligence. Mauigoa described Beck as "the head of the offense" and someone who understands the responsibilities associated with every position on the field. 

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Even program legends like ex-Hurricanes wide receiver Reggie Wayne, who starred at Miami from 1997-2000, have come away from this season impressed with how much Beck impacts winning, regardless of his statistical output. He likened Beck’s point guard-style distribution to what he saw early in the career of former Miami quarterback Ken Drosey, who eventually led the Hurricanes to a national championship in 2001.  

"One thing about Carson that I love is nothing rattles him," Wayne told me following an appearance for AT&T at Playoff Fan Central, where he and former Miami teammate Ed Reed spent more than an hour interacting with fans on Saturday afternoon. "He’s been on those big stages before. He’s been part of some championship teams. He sits back there, he takes what they’re giving him, and I think that’s what you’ve seen in the last month and a half or so. Just him taking what they give him and striking whenever you get that opportunity."

Still, the introduction of both NIL and revenue sharing — two monumental pillars that continue to revolutionize collegiate athletics — means there’s now an inevitable blending of football and finance that can complicate roster dynamics like never before. That's where the narratives surrounding Beck and Mensah seem destined to collide in the not-so-distant future. 

The current crop of Miami backup quarterbacks, which includes former blue-chip prospect Luke Nickel and several former three-star recruits, spent all spring practice splitting first-team reps while Beck recovered from elbow surgery, knowing that the newcomer would eventually leap them on the depth chart because of how much money accompanied the former Georgia star's acquisition. None of the reserves spoke negatively about Beck during Saturday's media session, with one of the backups going so far as describing their position group as "one of the closest quarterback rooms in the country," due in part to how delicately and professionally Beck handled what could have been a thorny situation. But now, following the NCAA's decision to eliminate the spring portal window, those same players could be overtaken by Mensah in the coming days or weeks without an opportunity to reevaluate their respective futures before the 2026 season. 

And perhaps that's why the rapidly developing Mensah saga feels different, given that it unfolded in the portal's 25th hour. A report from On3 last week indicated Miami had offered former Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, who declared his intention to enter the NFL Draft, as much as $6.5 million to stay in college for the 2026 season. When that attempt came up empty — Simpson followed through on filing his draft paperwork — the Hurricanes reportedly pivoted toward Mensah, a player who remains under contract with Duke for the second season of a two-year deal that was expected to pay him approximately $4 million for 2026, according to ESPN. The possibility for an eventual legal battle between the Blue Devils and whichever team ultimately signs Mensah seems very real. 

"We’re focused on Indiana," one Hurricanes quarterback told me when asked how it felt to see reports linking Miami to Mensah, whose potential arrival would usher in another high-priced, guaranteed-to-play starter, just like Beck and Ward the last two seasons. He paused for a moment, contemplating how strongly to bite his own tongue. 

Eventually, after a few seconds, he couldn't ignore the elephant in the room any longer.

"But to answer your question," the player told me, "it’s awful."

Michael Cohen covers college football and college basketball for FOX Sports. Follow him at @Michael_Cohen13.

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