The Dan Le Betard Show
Dan Le Betard show host Mike Ruiz went full scorched Earth on Thursday when addressing Ryan Clark‘s recent comments about Tennessee transfer quarterback Nico Iamaleava. Clark placed blame on everybody but Iamaleava for the situation, including Ruiz’s beloved Miami Hurricanes for signing Georgia transfer Carson Beck and allegedly giving him a large NIL check. Ruiz, however, says that Clark’s comments were “flatly wrong” and that he didn’t know what he was talking about.
“And now you got people like Mario Cristobal, who by the way, is [partly to blame for] this, because he gave Carson Beck, who ain’t the best quarterback in the country, $4 million to go to Miami,” Clark said Tuesday on ESPN’s Get Up. “There’s no reason for him to hold out, because he’s getting overpaid…”
‘Le Betard Show’ How Mike Ruiz Capes For Carson Beck In Ryan Clark Rebuttal
Ruiz, who is a proud Miami alum, a noted booster, the co-owner of CanesInSight.com and and works with Canes Connection NIL collective, says Clark is way off base.
“Ryan Clark said something to the effect on television today when talking about Nico, ‘Mario Cristobal is partly at fault because he gave $4 million to Carson Beck, and he’s not the best quarterback in the country,’” he told his Le Batard Show co-hosts. “No. 1, Ryan Clark, you don’t know the number. You’re off base. No. 2, if you’re directly comparing Carson Beck to Nico, Carson Beck is quite almost literally twice the quarterback statistically than Nico.
“Nico was tied for 36th in the nation in QBR last season; Carson Beck was eighth. Carson Beck won the SEC as QB1. He’s an accomplished quarterback that’s made a lot of money for himself in that conference, and now over at Miami. You don’t need to invoke Mario Cristobal, especially when you’re out of your depth.”
So how much are the Canes paying Beck exactly? Ruiz said that he knows, but he wouldn’t tell. Why wouldn’t he tell? We’ll let him explain.
“It doesn’t hurt Miami for Ryan Clark to go on television and just say things like, ‘Miami paid Carson Beck $4 million.’ That doesn’t hurt Miami at all,” Ryan says. “You know why? Because, just like the previous season, the quarterbacks that entered that portal are going to talk to Miami. Because the national perception is: Miami pays the quarterbacks. And if you’re in the game of trying to acquire talent, you don’t mind that perception out there, because it gets you in the room where things happen with these quarterbacks. So, why would I reveal the number?
“… Just because you saw an IG tile that says Carson Beck made $4 million doesn’t give you the right to open your trap on national TV and sound like a freaking idiot.”
Ruiz is correct. At least, technically speaking. We don’t know the numbers. And Beck is better the Iamaleava, historically speaking. But Miami did this to itself. In an NIL world without guardrails, the Canes and booster John Ruiz have been perhaps the biggest spenders, with little in the way of on-field results to show for it.
So sure, it may benefit Miami for its name to be out there. But you also have to deal with stuff like this from Clark, and that’s just part of the deal.