Georgia Still Waiting for a Quarterback to Take the Reins

Georgia has a serious question at the quarterback position heading into 2020, and it's not a matter of talent. It seems to be a matter of someone taking the job.

The quarterback position is the most pivotal position in all of the organized sports. Sure, you can win championships with a great defense, it's been done before. But look at the names of the quarterbacks that have won the most recent national titles. 

Names like Burrow, Lawrence, Tagovailoa, and Watson. With the college football playoffs in effect, gone are the days of game managers winning titles. 

Georgia is in an odd predicament heading into the 2020 season. Less than a month before their first football game, their presumed starter Jamie Newman elects to opt-out. Transfer JT Daniels has yet to be fully cleared, though expected to be by the start of the season. And D'Wan Mathis has struggled in the most recent scrimmage. 

According to our sources, from a leadership and performance standpoint, no quarterback has "grabbed the reins" of this offense. One source indicated that Mathis looked nonchalant during Saturday's scrimmage, and Daniels looks like a PAC-12 football player still trying to adjust to the speed of the SEC. 

Kirby Smart has even said that he's waiting on someone to take charge of this football team. 

"It almost feels like—we really want a guy to assume the lead and take the lead. That hasn’t happened yet. You’ll have a guy that has a great play and a great series, then comes back with a bonehead mistake and a turnover. Nobody has really taken charge and taken over. I wish I could say that." - Smart

The quarterback spot is a leadership based position, it's quite literally the focal point of any and all offensive huddles, and less than three weeks away from Georgia taking on Arkansas, the fact that no one has asserted themselves into that role is a bit concerning. 

It's not a question of talent at this point. Daniels is immensely talented, he can make just about any throw on the football field. Mathis has one of the strongest arms that people close to the program have ever seen. Talent is not the question. It appears leadership is the question that's going to need to be answered. 

The majority of the vocal leadership rolls on this football team have been occupied by defensive stars. The Richard LeCounte's, Monty Rice's, Jordan Davis's. This is a defensive lead football team, not only performance-based but in their speaking roles as well. Jamaree Salyer has not been known for his talkativeness, nor is Trey Hill. 

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