Kirby Smart Offers Comments On QB Room
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Georgia fans spend most of their offseason debating which quarterback should take the field wearing red and black. While most fanbase participates in these discussions, head coach Kirby Smart typically doesn't involve himself in them.
Despite outside criticisms, Smart emphasized several times this offseason that returning quarterback Stetson Bennett is the unquestioned starter. Kirby rebuffed any negative perception of Bennett by explaining that he enjoys people doubting his quarterback because all that matters is what he sees in practice.
Kirby hasn't offered many comments about the future of the quarterback room in Athens. With Bennett serving his last season of eligibility this year, a quarterback battle looms on the horizon.
Smart took the podium on Saturday afternoon and did speak about two backup quarterbacks that have been with the program for some time. He went out of his way to praise Carson Beck and Brock Vandagriff, who have quietly made strides in Bennett's shadow.
I’ve said all camp all three quarterbacks have done an excellent job. I’m so pleased with the progression of those guys, all the way down to Gunner (Stockton), who hasn’t had as many reps in our system or in general as Brock (Vandagriff) and Carson (Beck) have. We try to have a lot of two-spot where I feel like Gunner’s getting reps and getting work. There’s times, where like in scrimmages, you don’t have two scrimmages going on, so there’s quarterbacks on the sideline. In our practices, I’d say 80 percent of the time, there’s two quarterbacks on the field because we’re doing multiple things. So that helps the development of those guys, certainly Carson and Brock are ahead of where Gunner is, and both of those guys are different but they both play winning football. They do an incredible job of understanding. They both took some reps with the ones today in preparation, and they continue to get better.”
Beck and Vandagriff are the frontrunners for the quarterback job in 2023. Freshman gunslinger Gunner Stockton enrolled early in January and made some noise, but it's too early to tell what the young Stockton could be.
Both players have spent over a calendar year learning the system and will have multiple years of practice reps under their belt next spring. Vandagriff is the more athletically gifted of the two, but Beck's powerful arm routinely makes headlines.
They have an entire season before a quarterback competition can even be discussed. Currently, they are preparing to back up Bennett in the best way they can, which includes putting in work on the scout team.
Though based on conversations with those close to the program, Dawgs Daily is of the firm belief if something were to happen to Bennett today, Beck would occupy the starting role.
Beck's current standing on the depth chart isn't an indictment on Vandagriff; the staff just feels that Carson would give them a better chance to win at this exact moment. There is a long road ahead of these two, and the competition is just beginning to heat up.
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