Mason Garcia

Position:
Quarterback
Height:
6-5
Weight:
238
Class:
Freshman
Hometown:
Myrtle Beach, S.C.
High School:
Carolina Forest
Major:
Communication

Career: Two-year letterman who appeared in 20 career games making four starts (1/’20, 3/’23) … Completed 67 of 133 passes for 587 yards with a pair of touchdowns and three interceptions … Completed 50.4 percent of his passes … Netted 347 ground yards on 82 carries (4.2 ypc) … Scored four career rushing touchdowns (3 yards/Navy ’20, 3 yards/Charleston Southern ’21, 2 yards/Gardner-Webb ’23, 6 yards/SMU ’23) … Nineteen of 67 completions have gone for 10 or more yards (6/’20, 1/’21, 3/’22, 9/’23) ... Fourteen of 82 rush attempts have gone for 10 or more yards with a career-long of 57 against Marshall (2Q) in 2023.

2023: Played in a career-best eight games (three starts) … Opened fourth season with the program as the starting quarterback at Michigan (second career start) … Also registered starts against Marshall and Charlotte … Completed 48 of 95 passes for 408 yards … Lone touchdown pass came against Marshall on a two-yard strike to Shane Calhoun in the second quarter … Threw two interceptions (Michigan, Marshall) … Stood third on the team with 227 rushing yards (50 carries) … Ran for a career-best 118 yards (first ECU quarterback with 100-or more yards since Holton Ahlers in 2018) on personal-best 16 carries against Marshall … Scored a pair of rushing touchdowns (2 yards/Gardner-Webb, 6-yards/SMU) … Had career-long run of 57 yards against The Herd in the second quarter … Against SMU, set person-best standards in attempts (26, completions (12), yards (155) which included a career-long 45-yard pass to Chase Sowell (2Q) … Ran for five or more yards on a carried 22 times (10-plus on seven occasions) … Completed 10 or more passes in a game three times (Michigan, Marshall, SMU) … Tallied 635 all-purpose yards (408 pass, 227 rush).

2022: Appeared in three games in a reserve role at quarterback … Completed 5 of 7 passes for 39 yards while rushing twice for 11 yards against Campbell … Threw five passes completed two for 15 yards against Houston … Added eight yards on the ground on three rushes … Played against Coastal Carolina in the TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl in the fourth quarter – did not record any stats.

2021: Appeared in six games all in a reserve role … Completed 2 of 3 passes for 21 yards and one touchdown and a pick … Added 19 yards rushing on eight carries with another score … Made 2021 debut against Charleston Southern (2Q) scoring on a three-yard run ... Lone passing attempt versus Tulane was a 14-yard touchdown strike to Ryan Jones in the fourth quarter … Completed other pass for seven yards against Temple … Had a season-high three carries twice (Tulane and Temple) … Tallied 40 all-purpose yards (19 rushing, 21 passing).

2020: Appeared in three games making one start (Navy) during first year with the program as Holton Ahlers top backup … Completed 10 of 23 passes for 104 yards … Rushed 19 times for 87 yards with a score … Made collegiate debut at Georgia State in the fourth quarter (last series) in 2020 ... Started first career game vs. Navy passing for 104 yards (10 of 20) while rushing for 63 yards and a touchdown (15 carries)... Scored first career rushing touchdown (3 yards) against The Midshipmen in 2020 ... First career completion was a 15-yarder to C.J. Johnson vs. Navy (1Q) in 2020 ... Six of 10 completions went for 10 or more yards ... Five of his 19 rush attempts were for 10 or more yards with a career-long of 23 yards against Navy (1Q) in 2020 ... Officially signed with East Carolina on Dec. 18, 2019.

High School: Earned three varsity football letters for coach Marc Morris and the Carolina Forest program … Promoted to varsity unit as a sophomore (2017) after leading the junior varsity squad to an undefeated season in 2016 … Helped Panthers to a 7-6 mark and a second-round Class 5A playoff appearance during his first full-time campaign as the program’s top signal-caller … Passed for nearly 1,600 yards and 14 touchdowns, while rushing for 500 yards and 13 TDs in 2017 … Added over 2,100 yards and 28 TDs through the air and 700 more yards on the ground as a junior to earn All-Region 6-5A accolades … In 2018, guided CFHS to an 8-2 overall record (4-1 in Region 6) and to its initial first-round playoff victory since 2004 after edging Lexington 36-35 in the opener before ending its season with a setback to Summerville … As a senior, threw for 2,149 yards and 19 scores to direct the Panthers to a 12-2 overall mark and a perfect 6-0 clip in region play … Added 761 rushing yards and 14 ground scores … Engineered a unit that scored 626 points during the year – an average of 44.7 per outing … Led Carolina Forest to the Lower State 5A finals for the first time in school history, but fell 45-20 to Dutch Fork in the championship game after downing Cane Bay (42-7), River Bluff (36-25) and Goose Creek (41-14) in the first three rounds of the playoffs … Postseason highlight was 19-carry, 88-yard, 2-TD rushing performance against River Bluff in the second round … Competed in the Adidas Rival Camp Series (Fort Mill, S.C.) and the Elite Training Skills Showcase (Irmo, S.C.) … Invited to play in the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl, a North-South All-Star Showcase game at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa on Jan. 4, 2020 … Also selected to represent South Carolina in the prestigious Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas on Dec. 21 at Wofford College … A four-star prospect per Rivals.com who was also listed as the 14th-best quarterback nationally and fifth-best overall recruit in South Carolina … Picked up three stars, ranked No. 16 among all pro-style QBs and stood as the sixth-best S.C. product according to 247Sports.com … Also earned three stars (and held a No. 9 state ranking) per ESPN.com … Received offers from Cincinnati, Colorado State, Missouri, Pittsburgh and Syracuse among others … Reportedly clocked at 4.72 in the 40-yard dash … Enjoyed growth spurt that elevated 5-foot-11 frame in eight grade to 6-foot-4 between his freshman and sophomore seasons … Also lettered as a basketball standout at CFHS who averaged 10.4 points and 9.7 rebounds per game as a junior … Older brother Ismael was a wide receiver in the Carolina Forest program.

Personal: Enrolled in the communication program at ECU ... Named to ECU Director of Athletics Honor Roll in the spring of 2023 (Dean's List).