Coming off a second consecutive national championship, the Georgia Bulldogs will see a changing of the guard this coming season as senior quarterback Stetson Bennett IV has finally run out of eligibility after compiling a 29-3 record as starting quarterback since arriving in Athens from Blackshear, Georgia as part of the 2017 recruiting class.
Bennett seemed to defy all odds and silence all naysayers who thought he didn’t have the skillset to lead the team to the pinnacle of college football, capped off by a six-touchdown performance in three quarters of play in a 65-7 dismantling of TCU in the College Football Playoff national championship.
So the question now remains, who will take up the reigns and lead the Dawgs under center over the course of the 2023 season? Connor Riley from DawgNation joined Chris Thomas on “The Other Side of the Glass” on Sunday and gave his thoughts about the quarterback battle as UGA looks to hold its spot as the premier program in college football.
“He’s (Beck) the favorite to be the starter next season, I would say, but he’s going to have to prove it and earn it,” Connor noted. “This competition is not going to be decided after Spring practice, Kirby (Smart) is going to want to take this out as far as he can and it’s going to be interesting to see what decisions get made there.”
The 6-foot-4”, 215-pound redshirt junior from Jacksonville, Florida has been the primary backup to Bennett for the past three seasons. Heading into this upcoming season, Beck has thrown only 55 total passes but has completed 62 percent of his throws for 455 yards and six touchdowns. Appearing mostly in blowout wins last season, his best game was during a 55-0 beatdown of Vanderbilt in October when he went 8 for 11 with 98 yards and two touchdowns.
Carson Beck career numbers : 36/58 | 62.1% | 486 passing yards | 6 passing touchdowns | 2 interceptions
— CFBLIVE247 (@CFBLive247_) February 6, 2023
Possible QB1 for the Bulldogs in 2023. pic.twitter.com/dInmqCHevs
"(He has a) classic pro-style quarterback build with fairly filled-out frame," former 247Sports recruiting analyst John Garcia Jr. wrote of Beck as a recruit.
"Solid mechanics and above-average arm strength with better accuracy.
Anticipatory thrower with ability to change speed, play off-platform and manipulate arm angles. Elite processing relative to starting experience."
While Beck possesses a much more traditional pocket-passer style compared to the energetic style of Bennett, UGA does have plenty of options at quarterback who will be definitely be up for the challenge. Former five-star recruit Brock Vandagriff is waiting in the wings as well as freshman Gunner Stockton, who seems to be a reach but still will come into the Spring with plenty of raw talent.
Riley added that if offensive coordinator Todd Monken were to make the choice to leave Athens after three seasons, with two national championships under his belt, that the decision could “reset the deck a bit in terms of maybe leveling the playing field” but his prediction is that Carson Beck will be the primary signal caller for the Dawgs when the 2023 college football season gets underway
