Kirby Smart Says He Knows Who Oregon's Starting Quarterback is Ahead of Ducks Matchup
Since the end of the 2021 season, one question has been on the minds of Oregon fans across the country: Who will be the Ducks' starting quarterback in 2022?
After inconsistent play from Anthony Brown, fans are hoping to get more out of the passing game this season. This has proven to be the case even more since Brown has excelled playing for the Baltimore Ravens in the preseason.
The quarterback room features a lot of promising talent once again. Ty Thompson and Jay Butterfield return and are joined by Bo Nix, who transferred from Auburn in the offseason.
Head coach Dan Lanning has been adamant since his arrival that he won't share who will be leading the offense to start the 2022 season.
On Monday, Georgia Head Coach Kirby Smart was discussing how having a lot of unknowns on a team adds a new element to their preparation in reference to Oregon. With an almost entirely new coaching staff and new additions to the roster, last year's film is only so valuable.
Even though Lanning hasn't named a starting quarterback, Smart implied that quarterback isn't an unknown for him as he prepares for his week one matchup.
"That really doesn't impact anything for us. I know who the quarterback's gonna be, so I'm not worried about that," Smart said. "I'm worried a lot more about how our guys play and what our guys do and how our guys execute. You guys use that to write about and talk about, but, I mean, let's be honest, regardless of which quarterback's in there, they're going to do what they do. And maybe he does one thing better than the other guy does. At the end of the day, they may play both of them. But it's never about the preparation for one specific quarterback as much as it is the preparation of your team to go play well."
Smart has extensive experience facing Nix from his time at Auburn, and all signs are pointing to him being the starter. Nix has struggled in his three games against the Georgia defense, throwing for 639 yards and one touchdown against two interceptions on 56.3% passing. Auburn lost all three of those games.
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Butterfield has often been left out of the conversation when it comes to the quarterback competition, but he may have the most arm talent of anyone on the team. The question with him is whether or not his athleticism are an ideal fit for Kenny Dillingham's offense, which has historically featured a heavy dose of quarterback runs.
Many fans are calling to see Thompson, a former five-star recruit, cut loose. However, he only saw limited snaps in 2021 and is still adjusting to the speed and progressions of the college game.
Whoever earns the starting nod will have one of the most experienced offensive lines in the country to protect them this season.
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