DANIA BEACH, Fla. — Super fun.

That’s the way that Carson Beck described his first college season as a Georgia football starting quarterback.

It came after spending three years as a backup in Athens.

Beck plays his final game this season in Saturday's Orange Bowl but not his final game as a Bulldog.

His much-watched stay-or-go decision ended early last week when he announced he’s coming back in 2024.

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“I think the biggest thing that factored in my decision was just the chemistry and the connection in our locker room,” Beck said speaking publicly for the first time on Thursday, “and just the standard that we’ve set at Georgia. …I’ve enjoyed every step of the way, every single game. Getting to go out there and do what I love.”

Beck will have a chance to work his way into a 2025 NFL first-round draft pick when there were no assurances that would happen if he made the jump after just one season as a starter.

A published report said Beck was looking to make more than $4 million through NIL to return in 2024.

“There’s a lot of numbers thrown around,” Beck said. “I want to say a month before the SEC championship game, I’m sitting there and I’m seeing it on Twitter and Coach (Kirby) Smart’s like, where is this coming from?’"

Beck said he had not talked about NIL with anyone on the Georgia side.

"I hadn’t said anything," he said. "We haven’t even talked about the decision. That was not one of the biggest factors of me coming back. Obviously, as the quarterback at Georgia, there’s going to be plenty of opportunities outside of Georgia for me to make NIL and things like that. For now, coming back and trying to win a championship with these guys and this team is so important to me. I know that’s so cliché and that’s what I’m supposed to say but I truly believe that.”

Beck should end the season as Georgia’s new record holder for single season completion percentage. He’s at 72.4 percent, ahead of the 68.3 of Stetson Bennett last season.

He has thrown for 3,738 yards and 22 touchdowns with 6 interceptions. He would need to tie his career-high of 389 passing yards this year against Kentucky to match Stetson Bennett’s single season passing yardage record of 4,127 set last season

Offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said he knew with Beck’s skillset that he could thrive when he got the chance to be the starter.

“He’s a guy that can make all the throws, a guy that I can see process plays quickly on the practice field and getting it to the right guy,” he said. “It was a matter of him playing football games and getting starts under his belt.

Beck, who went 12-0 as a starter before the 27-24 SEC championship game loss to Alabama, called his season just “OK. I did some good things, I did some bad things. I am super hard on myself. I set really high expectations.”

He said he left a lot on the field with decisions. When he goes back and watches film, he wonders how he could have not made a play he’s done “thousands of times.”

Bobo said due to injuries to Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey this season, Beck has had to learn how to trust other players more.

“He’s gotten better every week to me because the more experience, the more things he goes through as a quarterback,” Bobo. “And having to go through a loss. Having to feel that sense of failure sometimes. I told him after the game the other side of failure is success. You’ve got to keep getting yourself up and going out there. He’s had the right mindset.”

Georgia goes up against an unbeaten Florida State team that will be missing five defensive starters due to opt-outs.

“It seems like they play a lot of match defense,” Beck said. “They’re going to pressure you in different types of ways. Get down in the red zone, play you man. Third down, play you man. In that way, challenging our wide receivers to get open and one-on-one matchups and situations.”

McConkey, the Bulldog wide receiver, came into Georgia in the same 2020 signing class as Beck.

“I’ve seen it day in and day out how he worked, how he prepared,” McConkey said. “I knew when he got a shot, he’d make the most of it.”

Beck said when he watches film of himself from this season, “it doesn’t look like the same person throughout the year. You know, you can tell the confidence, kind of just the aura I started to build over each game. Week 1 Carson and Week 11 Carson, were not the same quarterback at all.”

Up next after Saturday: Season 2 Carson as a starter in a Georgia uniform.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: What Carson Beck said about returning in 2024 and how NIL factored in