Tag: Georgia quarterbacks

Projecting Georgia’s quarterback room ahead of spring practice

Is quarterback depth a concern? Georgia has just three scholarship quarterbacks ahead of spring practice.

The Georgia Bulldogs have one of the country’s best quarterback rooms for the 2024 season. Georgia quarterback Carson Beck announced his return to Athens in December and is a big reason why Georgia is preseason national championship favorites (+350, per BetMGM).

Georgia lost some depth at quarterback this offseason as Brock Vandagriff transferred to Kentucky. Additionally, Dylan Raiola’s last-minute flip to Nebraska means that Georgia has just three scholarship quarterbacks entering spring practice.

[gambcom-standard rankid=”3011″]

Obviously, Carson Beck is the starter for Georgia this season. However, what other options does Georgia have? Georgia’s quarterback depth is a concern, but fortunately the Bulldogs return a stout offensive line, so it is unlikely that Beck will take too many hits this fall. Let’s take a look at Georgia’s projected quarterback depth chart entering spring practice.

Projecting Georgia’s 2023 quarterback depth chart

Dissecting the Georgia football quarterback room: who will start?

The quarterback position will define Georgia’s 2023 college football season. The Bulldogs received excellent play from Stetson Bennett the past two seasons.

Now, Georgia and first-year offensive coordinator Mike Bobo are deciding who will start at quarterback for the fall. Early this offseason, head coach Kirby Smart emphasized that decision-making will determine who ends up as the starting quarterback.

Smart’s 2023 edition of the Bulldogs has the talent to win another national championship. Will quarterback play hold back Georgia?

Georgia needs its quarterbacks to limit mistakes in most games during the regular season. However, once November and December roll around, Georgia will need high-level quarterback play to return to the College Football Playoff.

Here’s how we project Georgia’s quarterback room for the 2023 season:

Georgia’s Carson Beck talks QB battle, 2023 season

“There’s a mission and just play for the team every single day.”

Georgia’s offense will look much different in 2023 with the departure of two-time national champion quarterback Stetson Bennett and offensive coordinator Todd Monken.

New offensive coordinator Mike Bobo now holds the keys to the Bulldogs attack, but all eyes will be on the quarterback battle between Carson Beck, Brock Vandagriff and Gunner Stockton this offseason.

Vandagriff, a rising redshirt sophomore, and Stockton, a freshman who redshirted in 2022, have ground to gain over rising senior Beck, who backed up Bennett in 2023.

Beck completed 36 of 58 passes for 486 yards and five touchdowns with two interceptions and 12 runs for 58 yards over the last two seasons.

Beck spoke recently on the offseason competition with 247Sports.

“I’ve learned a lot. I’ve sat behind some great quarterbacks who have done a lot in their careers, especially Stetson. Watching them and how they prepare, there are little bits and pieces that you can take from every guy that’s come through our program. I can apply some of that to my game. There are things that you figure out. I’ve been here for three years. I’ve matured a lot in terms of not only the football side but also just the life side. I think sitting and you know, being patient, like you said, has ultimately made me a better player and a better person for it.”

Beck spent three years under the tutelage of Monken, who gradually improved Georgia’s offense statistically each season.

“I’d say my strong suits are that I am very smart, so the mental part of the game. I think another thing that’s added to that is being in the system for three years and understanding what we are trying to do with the offense. We got a bunch of dudes — wide receivers, tight ends, running backs, and just distributing the ball around. I feel like that’s one of my strengths.”

Beck said he benefited from sitting behind Bennett.

“The biggest thing I learned from Stetson is just focusing on what needs to be done. I know, that sounds so simple, but it’s very hard sometimes with all the outside noise. He’s got it the most out of anybody. I think that’s one of the biggest takeaways that I can take from him. It’s just focusing on what needs to be done. There’s a mission and just play for the team every single day.”

Georgia returns six starters on offense, including leading receivers Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey.

“We’re very young if you really look at it. We got a lot of great dudes on our offense that are explosive and can make plays right after the catch. Go up and get balls. It’s super exciting. It’s a lot of fun to watch.”

Spring practice is scheduled to begin the week of March 14, culminating with the annual G-Day spring game in Sanford Stadium on April 15.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz2y40j067srkf player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

Kirby Smart updates backup quarterback situation ahead of 2022 season

‘They’re going to be really good quarterbacks’ – KS

For the first time in two seasons, Georgia has a sure-fire starting quarterback. Kirby Smart has tabbed Stetson Bennett as UGA’s signal caller headed into the 2022 season.

As the kickoff versus No, 11 Oregon looms, Smart gives his take on the backup quarterback race, consisting of junior Carson Beck and sophomore Brock Vandagriff after Georgia’s second scrimmage of camp on Saturday.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Chf1eSlvnnI/

The Bulldogs have had plenty of drama at quarterback ever since heralded Jake Fromm departed to the NFL after the 2019 season.

Wake Forest transfer Jamie Newman was the guy for about two weeks in 2020 before opting out citing COVID-19 concerns. Then a battle ensued between D’Wan Mathis, now a starter at Temple, and Stetson Bennett before J.T Daniels stepped in for the rest of the year.

In 2021 the legend of ‘The Mailman’ was born as Bennett resurged after Daniels’ injury and led the Bulldogs to the promise land.

Entering 2022 the Bulldogs have one of the strongest quarterback rooms in the country due, in part, to Beck and Vandagriff.

“I think both of those guys have done an incredible job. They’re going to be really good quarterbacks,” Smart said. “They understand our system at a high level, they’ve been through springs, they’re both playing winning football and I’m pleased with both of their growths. We continue to get them more opportunities because we’re trying to evaluate them as a one, more than you are as a two or three because sometimes the offensive line changes when you do that.”

Even true freshman Gunner Stockton, a former four-star prospect, has made strides in his own right.

“I thought Gunner made some really good plays today,” Smart said. “You don’t get to see as much of Gunner because we do fours in our practice. He gets reps, which is good, but he gets primary reps in the scrimmage when he gets to go out there with the threes and things. And I thought he did a good job. I have a lot of confidence in all of our quarterbacks.”

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz2y40j067srkf player_id=none image=https://ugawire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[pickup_prop id=”23421″]

Georgia’s top-5 offensive players for 2021: No. 1 QB JT Daniels

Ranking Georgia’s top-5 offensive players for 2021: No. 1 QB JT Daniels

We are currently ranking Georgia’s top-five offensive players for the 2021 college football season.

5. WR George Pickens

4. OL Jamaree Salyer

3. WR Arik Gilbert

2. RB Zamir White

And at No. 1, we have quarterback JT Daniels.

Daniels looks ready to lead the Bulldogs in 2021 and he should be one of the nation’s top quarterbacks at the end of the season.

He had a phenomenal first year with Georgia, throwing for 1,231 yards, 10 touchdowns and two interceptions in four games.

Everything seemed to click when Daniels lined up under center, and years of built-up frustration with the Georgia offense began to slip away.

Daniels transferred to UGA after spending the first two seasons of his career at USC. Daniels transferred from the Trojans following an ACL injury he suffered during the 2019 season opener. Daniels was still rehabbing the injury when he arrived in Athens and was not cleared to play until later in the 2020 college football season.

In three seasons at the prestigious Mater Dei High School, JT Daniels averaged more than 50 touchdown passes and 4,000 passing yards per season. Daniels was rated as the third ranked quarterback in his recruiting class behind Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields.

Daniels has solid experience from his days at USC. In 2018, Daniels threw for 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions for the Trojans. The former five-star recruit has the talent to put it all together this season.

Georgia football player card: QB Carson Beck

Georgia Bulldogs redshirt freshman quarterback Carson Beck got the majority of the reps for the Black team in the spring game

Carson Beck, Quarterback (No. 15):

Class: Redshirt Freshman

Height: 6-4

Weight: 215 pounds

Hometown: Jacksonville, Florida

High School: Mandarin High School

Georgia Bulldogs redshirt freshman quarterback Carson Beck got the majority of the reps for the Black team in the spring game. Beck gained valuable experience and played pretty well, finishing the contest with 236 passing yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He went 22 of 31 on his passing attempts.

Beck picked up a redshirt as a freshman. He played late against the Missouri Tigers in 2020, but did not have a chance to throw a pass. Look for him to see more action in 2021.

Beck enrolled early at the University of Georgia. He was a four-star recruit in the class of 2020. Additionally, before coming to Athens, Beck competed at the prestigious 2019 Elite 11 camp.

Will Beck begin the season as Georgia’s No. 2 quarterback? He will face some talented opposition. Georgia’s quarterback position has impressive depth this season with Brock Vandagriff, Carson Beck and Stetson Bennett ready to step in if J.T. Daniels suffers an injury.

[listicle id=43363]

Georgia vs Auburn: Halftime stats and thoughts

Georgia leads Auburn 24-3 at halftime. Here are the key players and team stats so far.

No. 4 Georgia leads No. 7 Auburn 24-3 at halftime after dominant first half by the Bulldogs.

Georgia’s most valuable players of the first half were junior quarterback Stetson Bennet, who is making his first career start for the Bulldogs, and redshirt sophomore running back Zamir White and sophomore receiver Kearis Jackson.

Player stats:

  • Bennett – 12/22, 155 yards with one touchdown
  • White – 17 carries for 76 yards and two touchdowns
  • Jackson – 7 receptions for 104 yards

Team Stats:

  • 1st downs: UGA 15, Auburn 5
  • Total yards: UGA 288, Auburn 81
  • Passing yards : UGA 158, Auburn 54
  • Rushing yards : UGA 130, Auburn 27
  • Time of possession: UGA 18:04, Auburn 11:56
  • Penalties : UGA 6 for 49 yards, Auburn 4 for 30 yards

Georgia’s offensive line is doing whatever they want with Auburn right now, and the Bulldogs running backs are taking advantage.

Bennett has been sharp and decisive with the football, especially on third downs.

All good news for Georgia so far, tune-in for the second half coming up on ESPN.

 

 

Interview: Aaron Murray says what Georgia should do at quarterback ahead of Auburn

We sat down with former Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray to get his thoughts on Georgia’s unique quarterback situation. Details here

No 4. Georgia is still looking for its starting quarterback ahead of Saturday night’s matchup with No. 7 Auburn.

Redshirt freshman D’Wan Mathis started the game last week versus Arkansas, but was abruptly pulled for junior Stetson Bennett after just five offensive drives.

Mathis, who was cleared for football activities in May after surgery to remove a brain cyst kept him out in 2019, didn’t get much help from his teammates in the short time he was under center versus the Razorbacks.

Preseason second-team All-SEC center Trey Hill surprised with multiple bad snaps, plus the Bulldogs totaled 11 penalties for 98 yards in the first half.

Former Georgia quarterback, now CBS Sports college football analyst Aaron Murray believes Mathis was fighting from behind even before the first snap.

“To be able to master a playbook, and then to get the timing down with your receivers and running backs and the communication with your offensive line. It takes a lot of time. I don’t think he has had a lot of time to do that. So, I think expectations were high, but obviously it comes with the position here be a starting quarterback and Georgia. People expect a certain level of play. I just think those expectations were unrealistic.”

Georgia was forced to scramble to find a signal-caller just a few weeks before the season after Wake Forest transfer quarterback Jamie Newman, the projected starter and Heisman Trophy hopeful, decided to opt-out of the 2020 football season because of Covid-19 related concerns.

The Bulldogs’ decision then was between Mathis, Bennett and redshirt sophomore, USC transfer J.T. Daniels, the only current Georgia quarterback with Power 5 experience.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart expected Daniels to be cleared by gametime last week, but after traveling with the team to Fayetteville, Daniels was still not cleared for gameplay, throwing Mathis into the starting role at-least for week-one.

“The cards were stacked against him (Mathis). He hasn’t played football in a while, didn’t have spring, wasn’t a starter and really had limited reps in the offense or in fall camp. So to me, hen is someone that I wish they would have given at least the first half, get through the first quarter, you know, make a couple of mistakes, and then see how he rebounds, especially mentally and how he can handle it and then go from there.”

Smart announced on Monday that Daniels is now cleared for gameplay and Murray believes his experience at USC in 2018 can set him apart from Mathis and Bennett moving forward.

“He (Daniels) was an 18 year old kid playing college football at USC, and I thought he did pretty good for being a young pup playing out there. Start the season off strong through the first half of last season in that first game. And then obviously, the ACL injury happened. He is a big kid, he has a good arm, he’s played football.”

Bennett, a former JUCO star at Jones County Junior College in Ellisville, Mississippi, came in for Mathis and showed promise, throwing for 211 yards on 20/29 passing with two touchdowns and a two point conversion run.

“I do think Stetson came in and played really well. I mean, it’s another guy who probably had absolutely no opportunity with the ones at all during fall camp to get the reps and get the timing with those guys. So, the fact that he was able to go 20/29, get a couple touchdowns take care of the football was was really darn impressive to watch. And I think he’s someone that’s going to take care of the football, he’s going to be accurate, he’s played, he just looked like he was more comfortable out there”

The defense’s three interceptions, one for a pick-six, and safety were a large part of the Bulldogs’ resurgence from a abismal first half, but Bennett’s poise helped Georgia find at least some identity in its season opener.

This weeks matchup with No. 7 Auburn will be much more difficult for the Bulldogs. The Tigers come to Athens off of a 29-13 win versus Kentucky where sophomore quarterback Bo Nix threw for 233 yards on 16/27 passing with three touchdowns and led team in rushing with five carries for 34 yards.

Auburn’s defense is as talented as always. The Tigers defensive front is led by defensive end Big Kat Bryant and at linebacker, senior K.J. Britt, who had 11 tackles versus Kentucky and is always around the ball. And in the secondary, the Tigers are lead by junior cornerback Roger McCreary, one of the best lock-down corners in the SEC.

The question remaining is,  how does Georgia come away with a win versus a top-10 Auburn team without a solidified starter at quarterback?

“Just lean on the defense, that’s all I got to say. People just want points, points, points. We want 4,050 points a game. Screw that man, just win. I just think that’s the issue right now – everyone wants these these explosive offenses. Everyone wants to go be entertained with high scoring games, just just be grateful that you’re winning ballgames. Be grateful that we won a road game against an SEC opponent, and we covered the spread.”

Listen to our full interview, including an Auburn preview, with the SEC’s all-time leading passer here:

 

 

Who will Auburn face from Georgia at the quarterback position?

Georgia is keeping tight on whether J.T. Daniels will be the starter at quarterback for the Dawgs as Auburn battles them in Athens Saturday.

[jwplayer tDekBTFB]

If you are an Auburn fan, you just knew that somehow J.T. Daniels would immediately be cleared for this week’s top-10 matchup for Georgia. That was no question. But is he going to be the one the Tigers see when they take the field on defense on Saturday in Athens?

All signs point to yes but there is still a chance that Stetson Bennett, who replaced D’Wan Mathis in the opener against Arkansas and put up 211 yards and two touchdowns, could be the guy.

Bennett seemed to settle into the position as the game went along against the Razorbacks but Daniels is the guy that the Bulldogs have been waiting on to see on the field. The transfer from USC and former No. 2 overall quarterback in the 2018 signing class showed signs of what he is capable of as a freshman for the Trojans in 2018, throwing for 2,672 yards and 14 touchdowns but still put up 10 interceptions.

He was supposed to have a breakout season last year for Clay Helton’s team but that immediately took a wrong turn as he was injured in the season opener against Fresno State.

Bennett is more of a game-manager type quarterback while Daniels can be a star at the position. He’s not exactly Matt Stafford or Aaron Murray, two quarterbacks that Georgia has thrown at the Tigers in recent history, but the capability is there. You just have to wonder about the rust that has built up after not playing in a game for more than a year.

Luckily, Auburn has one of the top defensive coordinators in the country in Kevin Steele on staff and he will have his players ready for whatever Kirby Smart decides to do with the quarterback situation. Whether it is Daniels or Bennett, the Tigers will be ready.

What Arkansas media is saying about Georgia football ahead of Saturday’s season opener

See what the Arkansas media is saying about Georgia ahead of Saturday’s matchup. Details and analysis here!

It’s finally here. No. 4 Georgia is set to kickoff its 2020 season at Arkansas on Saturday at 4 p.m. on the SEC Network.

UGA coach Kirby Smart matched up against former offensive line coach Sam Pittman, who left the Bulldogs last year to take the head coach position in Fayetteville.

Georgia has not yet named a starting quarterback and Smart hinted to the possibility of UGA keeping that under wraps anyway, but we know that former Florida quarterback Feleipe Franks will be at signal caller for the Razorbacks.

Here is what the Arkansas football media is saying about the Bulldogs:

“Maybe Smart mentioning Mathis last means he’s going to start. Several Georgia media members have speculated Mathis will start Saturday.”

“Georgia’s expected starter Jamie Newman who transferred in as a grad transfer from Wake Forest was generally considered the most likely quarterback, but he opted out of the season. That left USC transfer JT Daniels and D’Wan Mathis as the likely candidates. A reporter speculated to Pittman that Mathis seemed to be the likely starter.

“Georgia did not rack up a bunch of sacks last season either, finishing 46th nationally with 31 total, nor did the Bulldogs did not make a lot of TFL (60th with 76). Given those numbers, the fact that UGA was second nationally in allowing just 2.6 yards per rush without a lot of those negative yardage plays is even more impressive. They also led the nation with only two rushing touchdowns allowed.

The Razorbacks, off consecutive 2-10 seasons, start last year’s true freshman starting guard at center and first-time starting redshirt freshmen guards. They’ll either start a third-year sophomore (injured last season) or last year’s incumbent at right tackle with the lone senior starter at left tackle.

Arkansas has more than a challenge Saturday. Georgia enters with the best defense in the nation and some serious talent on offense, featuring guys like George Pickens, Zamir White, James Cook, etc.

It will be interesting to see how the Bulldogs treat the quarterback position Saturday. Will we see one guy take over the game, or will we see each player get some reps, and who gets the starting nod and why?

Because of the questions surrounding J.T. Daniels’ knee, I suspect D’Wan Mathis will get the start and a majority of the reps, with Daniels and Stetson Bennett seeing a limited number of snaps. We may even see freshman Carson Beck get reps as well.