Preseason college football rankings might only be worth the paper they're digitally printed on, but capturing the feeling of fans and media at different points of the year is still good. ESPN just dropped its top 100 players of college football list, and Georgia fans will surely look to where quarterback Carson Beck lands.
Beck is not only in the top 10 of all players, but he's No. 1 amongst quarterbacks in the nation. Let's take a look at the case for and against Beck being the best quarterback in the country.
ESPN places Beck as the 7th top player nationwide as his senior season approaches. His remarkable performance last year was crucial in leading the Bulldogs to the SEC Championship Game again, ensuring the team didn't falter after the departure of the seasoned Stetson Bennett.
Beck has noted that his growth was gradual over last season, with a significant improvement in his clarity on the field by the end of the year. This spells concern for college football's competition, considering Beck still managed to rack up 3,941 passing yards and 24 touchdowns.
Although he's facing a revamped set of receivers, the Bulldogs have aggressively utilized the transfer portal to equip him with viable targets.
Here's what ESPN wrote about Beck:
In just his first season as a starter, Beck ranked third nationally and first in the SEC with 3,941 passing yards. He was fourth in the nation with a 72.4 completion percentage. Beck threw 24 touchdown passes and rushed for four more and was intercepted only six times in 417 pass attempts. The 6-2, 220-pound senior could be the top quarterback taken in the 2025 NFL draft.
The stats are impressive, and it's clear ESPN allowed its draft projections to influence the rankings. Beck was followed by Dillon Gabriel, Jalen Milroe, Quinn Ewers, and Shedeur Sanders within their top five passers. I'd argue Gabriel doesn't have much of an NFL future, but the rest could be top-50 picks in 2025.
Should Beck be No. 1? Statistically, and in terms of importance to his team, he has a strong argument when you blend those two together. He proved to be consistently effective in his first year as a starter.
However, there should be a little pushback based on his average athleticism and creation ability compared to Milroe, Sanders, and even guys like Jalon Daniels and Noah Fifita. Would they swap Beck for any of those talents if you gave Georgia the choice? It's debatable, but the Bulldogs' offense would fundamentally look different.
Beck is one of two elite pocket passers on the list, but I also don't consider Gabriel to be very good despite his accomplishments. I don't think ESPN got this wrong, but the margin between Beck being the top QB and being as low as fifth isn't huge, either.
It's just one of those years without a dominant QB.
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