The ACC Kickoff, the conference’s version of media days, began Tuesday with the Miami Hurricanes among the first teams to take the stage.
While head coach Mario Cristobal drew attention, the spotlight was mostly on new starting quarterback Carson Beck. The Georgia transfer made the media rounds and was interviewed by the ACC Network, including former Miami head coach Mark Richt.
Richt, who coached at Georgia from 2001 to 2015, pointed out that he and Beck share similar career arcs — albeit with one key modern-day difference.
“Well I was just going to say, of course, you were at Georgia and went to Miami. I was at Georgia and went to Miami,” Richt said. “The only difference is you got paid more than I did,” drawing laughter on set.
“I don’t know about that,” Beck replied.
“If you go year-by-year, I think you’ve got me by about a million,” Richt said with a grin.
According to Sports Illustrated, Richt signed an extension back in 2018 with Miami before retiring in after that season. While the financial terms were not fully disclosed, he was making close to $4 million annually.
Beck said transferring to Miami was “one of the better decisions that I've made.”
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That decision may have been sweetened by a significant NIL deal reportedly worth close to $6 million, according to On3’s Pete Nakos.
Miami is hoping Beck’s arrival — and the investment behind it — leads to new program heights, including an elusive ACC title and a long-awaited College Football Playoff berth. The Hurricanes narrowly missed both last year after a regular-season-ending loss to Syracuse gave Clemson the edge.
Now, the pressure is on Beck to deliver. After a strong two-year run at Georgia, Miami will expect him to at least bring home a conference championship.