UCL Injury to Put Georgia QB Carson Beck Out of CFP Game

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No. 2 Georgia (11-2, 6-2 in the Southeastern Conference) may have to face the College Football Playoff without its starting quarterback after a significant injury to senior Carson Beck.

Beck was removed from the SEC Championship game against Texas on Dec. 7 and underwent an MRI on Sunday, Dec. 8. The results have not been made public, but it has been reported that it is a UCL (ulnar collateral ligament) injury in his right arm (also his throwing arm). According to On3, Beck is seeking a second opinion.

UCL injuries often require long timetables for recovery. None has been provided for Beck's particular case, but he is expected to miss the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1, 2025.

What Happened to Carson Beck

Beck suffered his injury on the final play of the first half of the SEC Championship game. Texas linebacker Trey Moore swiped the football from Beck's hand as he tried to throw a pass. Moore picked up the ball and eventually pitched it to a teammate. The Longhorns tried to continue lateraling the ball to each other, but it ended up back in the hands of Georgia as the clock expired.

Beck remained on the ground, writhing in pain. He was 7-of-13 passing for 56 yards on before exiting the game.

Redshirt sophomore Gunner Stockton took over at quarterback for the Bulldogs in the second half. He threw for 71 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception. However, Stockton exited the game after taking a huge hit from Texas defensive back Andrew Mukuba in overtime. Beck re-entered the game, clearly unable to do anything but hand off the ball. He took one snap, handing the ball off to running back Trevor Etienne. Etienne plowed into the end zone to win the game, the SEC title and secure a first-round bye in the CFP.

New Georgia Quarterback

As long as Beck remains sidelined, Stockton would likely be the Bulldogs' starter. Stockton was a four-star recruit in the 2022 recruiting class and the No. 7 QB prospect nationally, according to 247 Sports. Prior to the SEC Championship game, he appeared in 2 games this season, completing 13 of 16 passing attempts. He also threw 2 TD passes and 1 INT in limited playing time in 2023.

That means Georgia will have to adjust on the fly. Beck was ninth in the NCAA this season with 3,485 passing yards, 28 TD passes and 12 INTs. Go ahead and toss in his 2 years of experience in playing in big games as the team's starting quarterback.

Georgia has 23 days until its next game. The Bulldogs will play the winner of No. 7-seed Notre Dame (11-1 Independent) and No. 10-seed Indiana (11-1, 8-1 Big Ten Conference)—played on Dec. 20 in South Bend, Ind.—in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans on Jan. 1, 2025, for a spot in the national semifinals.

Both potential opponents have successful veteran QBs in Riley Leonard (Notre Dame) and Kurtis Rourke (Indiana) and rank among the top 10 passing defenses in the country.