Will the Georgia Bulldogs Ever Have Another Three Year Starter at Quarterback?

Are the days of having a passer start three seasons in Athens over, or will there be another lengthy-tenured quarterback for the Dawgs in the future?

The Georgia Bulldogs are one of college football's most stored programs and have produced a plethora of extremely talented players that live on as legends of the sport. But few positions are as notable as the quarterback.

The Dawgs have been no strangers to producing extremely talented passers who have become household names within the college ranks. Along with prolific careers "Between the Hedges," many of these quarterbacks time as the team's starter has lasted a multitude of seasons.

But as NIL and the transfer portal era have reshaped the amount of time players spend on a roster, are the days of a Georgia Bulldogs quarterback, starting three or more seasons for the program over?

The last Georgia Quarterback to start or three seasons was Jake Fromm, who played for the Dawgs from 2017-2019 and took over as the team's start in week two of the 2017 season. Since then, there has not been an single quarterback to start the majority of games for three years.

Stetson Bennett came close to doing so from 2020-2022, however, his time as a starter was fragmented in the 2020 and 2021 seasons after being benched. Bennett only full season as the team starter was in 2022 when the Bulldogs finished with a historic 15-0 record and 65-7 victory in the national championship.

The last quarterback to be named the starter at the beginning of the season for three or more years was Aaron Murray, who began all four seasons of his career as the team's starter for the Bulldogs from 2010-2013.

Why are Lengthy-Tenured Starters Less Likely for the Bulldogs?

Nov 9, 2013; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Aaron Murray (11) runs through the Appalachian State Mountaineers defense during the second half at Sanford Stadium. Georgia defeated Appalachian State 45-6. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Becoming a three-year starter in college football often requires players to start as true freshmen or early into their careers, which provides them time to have multiple seasons as a starting quarterback.

Georgia's decreasing likelihood of a three-year starter stems from two reasons. The first reason is that head coach Kirby Smart has repeatedly emphasized his aversion to starting freshman quarterbacks, due to their increased chances of turning the ball over.

The second reason is the modern day transfer portal. Even if the Dawgs had a freshman talented enough to start, the team would likely utilize the portal to start a more experienced player and allow for the freshman to develop.

While, fewer quarterbacks starting three or more years for Georgia is a fairly insignificant change for the program, it is still a reflection of the modern era of college football, where starting as a true freshman is that much harder, especially as a quarterback.