Carson Beck was selected by the Arizona Cardinals with the 65th overall pick in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft. The former Miami QB’s journey had taken a downward turn before he arrived in Coral Gables. A season-ending injury in the SEC Championship game after a poor 2024 campaign had brought his stock down. Looking back, Beck’s head coach at Miami, Mario Cristobal, has nothing but praise for his signal-caller.

Weeks after his draft selection, his former coach, Mario Cristobal, still has not gotten him out of his mouth. While discussing Beck’s time in Coral Gables, the Miami Hurricanes head coach brought up his breakup with influencer and former basketball player Hanna Cavinder.

“And then, Carson, I’m sorry, he was quiet, but in a good way,” Cristobal said on The Rush With Maxx Crosby YouTube podcast. “He’s always thinking like ball and doing ball. He’s another 5:30 guy, a stay-till-late guy. He’s just a really good dude. I thought the best part was there was so much stuff on him.

“Always on TikTok, and relationship news, and this news. And he got here, and he said, ” That’s it. And all his focus was being around his teammates, going to get stuff to eat with them, working, grinding, golfing, fishing, and doing ball.”

Beck didn’t have much favor with Georgia fans after how the 2024 season panned out. In hindsight, he was unfairly criticized for a hapless offense with holes across the roster. What also didn’t help him was all the noise surrounding his personal life.

Cavinder announced their split in April on social media, citing Beck’s behavioral issues and ego as her reasons for splitting. Unfortunately, the breakup received so much media attention that Beck could not deny its effects on him.

“You make mistakes as a person, but it suc-s that you have to go through something like that with someone that you care about, and now it’s all over the Internet,” Beck told ESPN.

“Half of what you see in the media is true. Half of what you see is not true. So, people pick their side of the story and run with it. The people that know the truth know the truth.”

Regardless, while in the midst of the controversy, he was not held down by his setback. Instead, he found more motivation on the football field. During the 2025 season, he led Miami to the national championship game, where they lost 27-21 to the Indiana Hoosiers. Beck had a huge impact during their run, throwing for 3,813 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions with a 72.2% pass completion rate.

Carson Beck’s future in Arizona

Cristobal had nothing but nice words for Beck. And beyond his character qualities, he shared his thoughts on what the future holds for him in Arizona.

“And he was awesome, man,” Cristobal added. “I mean, he helped us achieve what hasn’t been done in Miami in a long, long time. And elevated the profile of the program. And he was an accountable, tough, hardworking guy that really just never found the need to be outspoken. And he led in a different manner. But I love him. I love both those guys.

“We’ve been super fortunate with the quarterbacks that we’ve had here. Hopefully, I think he’ll do great in Arizona.”

The Cardinals overhauled their QB room after the departure of long-time starter Kyler Murray. For the next season, they have a projected starter in Jacoby Brissett. Gardner Minshew will likely be the backup. That leaves Beck as a developmental piece. And if the offense struggles to get going, we may even see the former Miami QB in action during his rookie year.

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