Smart is pushing Beck to stay focused on the Heisman Trophy

There’s an old saying that goes like this: “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.”

While that saying is about male and female ducks, what can really be extrapolated for it is that in many co-dependent situations, what’s good for one person is usually good for the other person.

That’s certainly the case in football, where success for one individual often leads to team success, and that’s especially true for success for a quarterback in 2024.

In college football, if you’ve got a Heisman Trophy contender at quarterback, there’s a good chance you’ve got a contending football team. The reverse is true as well. If you’ve got a contending football team, there’s a good chance your quarterback is being talked about on the national scene.

That’s been the case at Georgia for much of the Kirby Smart era, and it’s certainly the case for the Bulldogs in 2024 as it relates to senior quarterback Carson Beck — the preseason Heisman Trophy favorite.

That’s why Smart revealed recently that he’s not having Beck back down from the Heisman hype in favor of some sort of false humility. 

“Well, I always say success is defined by being the best you can possibly be, and I thought he probably exceeded those expectations in terms of that last year for a first year starting quarterback. He did a lot of great things. Well, now this year, you got a lot of high expectations again for Carson Beck and for Georgia. So we don’t run or hide from the Heisman talk. That’s something that he embraces, we embrace,” Smart told Phillip Dukes of On3.

“We know if we play really good defense to get turnovers, he’s gonna have better performances. If offensively we’re able to run and pass the ball and play action and be really good on third down again, he gets more opportunities. So he knows the more success we have as a team, the better that gives him a chance at some of that Heisman talk and he’s certainly deserving and worthy of that and it’s not something we run from.”

Success begets success, and Smart wants his quarterback to embrace that.

If he can be a Heisman contender, Georgia will certainly be in the running for another national championship. If the Bulldogs can play like a contender around Beck, that will just raise his Heisman profile.

Ultimately, it’s a smart thing to focus on. It’s a win-win. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.