The Georgia Bulldogs will only go as far as Carson Beck takes them in 2024. At least that’s what Kirby Smart believes.
Beck’s return, after an outstanding first year as UGA’s starting quarterback, comes with a lot of expectations. He led the SEC in passing yards (3,941) on the way to a nearly perfect season as a junior.
Smart admitted to ESPN’s Chris Low that despite Beck’s solid play, Georgia held him back a bit at times, especially early in the season.
“Early in the year last season, we probably did try to protect him too much,” Smart said. “But then you see nothing ever really affects him and know you’ve just got to let the cat go play because we were either going to make it or not make it on his back. As the year went on, he got better and better, but we were probably a little too slow with him out of the gate.”
Under Smart, the Bulldogs have played it safe more often than not with their signal callers. Taking a “game manager” approach can work well when you have one of the best defenses in the country.
We learned in 2023 that Beck has the skill and mindset to go get points when the Bulldogs let him loose. He also has the support of his teammates to make plays off script.
“He’s ‘Mr. Mellow’ out there; the guys in the locker room love him because he’s confident, calm and very smart,” Smart said. Even though he’s got a little bit of arrogance to him, he’s not holier than thou like you see with some quarterbacks.”
Beck’s calm demeanor is perhaps the biggest reason for Georgia’s comeback wins early in the season against South Carolina and Auburn.
Things will look differently for the Bulldogs offense in the fall after losing three of the top four pass catchers to the NFL draft. That makes spring practice incredibly important for Beck and the wide receivers, aiming to build timing and continuity ahead of the season.
We’ll get our first look of the largely new group when UGA hosts its annual spring game on April 13 in Sanford Stadium. G-Day kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET, televised on SEC Network+.
