While Georgia is three wins away from capturing its third College Football Playoff championship in four years, the Bulldogs' chances may hinge on the health of their top signal caller.
Near the end of the first half of Georgia's thrilling SEC Championship game victory over Texas, Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck suffered an injury to his throwing arm. Beck exited the game only to return for one final play: The game-winning handoff to Trevor Etienne in overtime.
Beck was noticeably favoring his arm and Georgia took a cautious approach by limiting its quarterback's role despite the magnitude of the conference championship game. As the Bulldogs begin preparation for the quarterfinals of the newly expanded CFP, should Beck be expected to line up under center?
Here is the latest on Beck's injury and how much time he is expected to miss, if any.
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What is Carson Beck's injury?
Beck suffered the injury when his throwing arm was impacted by a hit taken near the end of the first half of the SEC Championship game on Saturday, Dec. 7, injuring his elbow.
Carson Beck was visibly hurting after this play, as his throwing arm was wrenched back.
— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace_) December 7, 2024
pic.twitter.com/KVMWNkSs2c
As mentioned above, Beck exited the game and was out for the entirety of the second half. He returned to the field in overtime to hand the ball off to Etienne, who sealed a 22-19 win with a walk-off touchdown.
Beck was limited to 56 yards after connecting on seven of his 13 pass attempts in the game. This season Beck has completed 290 of his 448 pass attempts for 3,485 yards and 28 touchdowns to just 12 interceptions.
How long is Carson Beck out?
Georgia is "preparing to play the College Football Playoff without" Beck, ESPN's Pete Thamel reported Thursday.
The 23-year-old senior quarterback is exploring surgery options to repair the injury to his throwing arm. He hasn't practiced since the SEC Championship game, and his return is "unlikely," per Thamel.
While the Bulldogs are readying for redshirt sophomore Gunner Stockton to take over under center, Beck's slim chance to return could be helped by the long break for Georgia.
The Bulldogs' CFP journey doesn't begin until the quarterfinals, as they earned a first-round bye. Georgia will face the winner of the first-round game between Indiana and Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl at 8:45 p.m. ET Wednesday, Jan. 1.
Georgia will have a 25-day break between the SEC title game and the CFP quarterfinal matchup.
UCL recovery time in football
The recovery time for UCL injuries in football depends on if the injury is Grade I, II or III.
A 2010 study from the Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery reviewed UCL injuries in professional quarterbacks sustained from 1994 to 2008. Of the 10 quarterbacks who suffered UCL injuries in their throwing arm, the average return-to-play time was 26.4 days.
Beck underwent an MRI Sunday but head coach Kirby Smart did not know any results when he spoke with reporters.
“He did get to have an MRI this morning," Smart said Sunday. "We should get the results here in the next few hours. We just had a team meeting. He was there for the team meeting, but we don’t know much more than we knew last night as of right now, but we should be finding out something here soon.”
Georgia QB depth chart
| Role | Player |
| Starter | Carson Beck, Senior |
| Backup | Gunner Stockton, Redshirt Sophomore |
| Third-string | Jaden Rashada (R-Fr.) OR Ryan Puglisi (Fr.) |
After Beck's injury, Stockton went 12 of 16 for 71 yards and an interception in the SEC Championship. Learn more about Stockton's journey and player profile here.
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College Football Playoff schedule 2024
| Date | Round | Matchup | Time | TV Channel |
| Dec. 20 | First Round | Indiana at Notre Dame | 8:00 p.m. ET | ABC/ESPN |
| Dec. 21 | First Round | SMU at Penn State | 12:00 p.m. ET | TNT |
| Dec. 21 | First Round | Clemson at Texas | 4:00 p.m. ET | TNT |
| Dec. 21 | First Round | Tennessee at Ohio State | 8:00 p.m. ET | ABC/ESPN |
| Dec. 31 | Quarterfinals | TBD vs. Boise State | 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN |
| Jan. 1 | Quarterfinals | TBD vs. Arizona State | 1:00 p.m. ET | ESPN |
| Jan. 1 | Quarterfinals | TBD vs. Oregon | 5:00 p.m. ET | ESPN |
| Jan. 1 | Quarterfinals | TBD vs. Georgia | 8:45 p.m. ET | ESPN |
| Jan. 9 | Semifinals | TBD vs. TBD | 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN |
| Jan. 10 | Semifinals | TBD vs. TBD | 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN |
| Jan. 20 | National Championship | TBD vs. TBD | 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN |
