Who will be Georgia’s starting quarterback for the 2023 college football season?
The Bulldogs have a trio of potential starters: Carson Beck, Brock Vandagriff and Gunner Stockton. Each brings a little different flavor to the offense.
Georgia is familiar with quarterback controversies. The Bulldogs can still be a championship contender despite a lack of clarity at quarterback (see: 2021).
Spring and summer practice will play a critical role in Georgia’s quarterback race. Additionally, Todd Monken’s future will affect the offensive system Georgia runs. If the Bulldogs have to start a new quarterback and run a new offensive scheme, that could spell trouble for the Georgia offense.
Kirby Smart and Georgia have a lot of time to decide who has the edge at quarterback. The Bulldogs open the season at home against UT Martin and Ball State before playing South Carolina in Athens. Georgia could use the two opening games to determine the starting quarterback.
Why Carson Beck will start
Carson Beck has the most experience of Georgia’s returning quarterbacks. Beck is entering his fourth season in Athens. He has played in 10 career games for the Bulldogs. He has thrown six touchdowns and two interceptions in his 10 appearances.
Beck showed improvement in 2022. He took care of the football and did not throw a single interception. Beck additionally should have the best chemistry with Georgia receivers, like Brock Bowers, thanks to his experience and practice reps.
Why Georgia could go in another direction from Beck
Carson Beck has looked accurate during his 58 career pass attempts. However, he does not have an overwhelming amount of game experience.
The former four-star quarterback recruit is not very mobile. Could it be another J.T. Daniels versus Stetson Bennett situation? Bennett won the starting role over Daniels partially thanks to his mobility. Mobile quarterbacks must be accounted for in the run game.
Beck is more mobile than Daniels (Beck has 12 career rushes for 58 yards), but he is the least mobile of the three quarterbacks competing to start.
How Brock Vandagriff wins the starting job
Georgia quarterback Brock Vandagriff is probably the most prototypical modern quarterback of the three competing to start. Vandagriff, a former five-star recruit, has a ton of talent.
The former Prince Avenue standout finally puts it all together in his third year in Athens. Vandagriff has played in four career games. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound quarterback wows coaches with his mobility and arm.
Vandagriff’s size and speed gives a boost to the run game.
Why Brock Vandagriff could remain a back-up
Vandagriff lacks experience. He has only thrown three career pass attempts. He faces strong competition in Carson Beck and Gunner Stockton. Beck’s experience and feel for the game gives him an early edge over Vandagriff.
Making a case for (and against) Gunner Stockton
Gunner Stockton has excellent mobility and would be a factor in the run game. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound quarterback is a former four-star recruit and has the talent to start for just about any college team.
Stockton did not play as a freshman, but he impressed coaches from the practice squad.
Stockton is the least experienced quarterback of the bunch (zero career pass attempts and games played). It takes time to adjust to the college game and Stockton may not be there yet. Overall, Stockton winning the starting job would be a surprise. However, he is not competing against the most experienced players either, so fans should expect him to have a fair shot at earning playing time this spring.
Kirby Smart and Georgia football always emphasize competition and that’s what we’re going to see at the quarterback position this spring.
