Georgia quarterback battle settled: Kirby Smart names obvious starter

Kirby Smart and the Georgia football program have settled on their day-one starter at quarterback. 

Georgia football will look to accomplish a rare three-peat this season. Despite off-field noise and several changes throughout the program, UGA is No. 1 in the preseason AP poll. The Dawgs are expected to contend.

How the Dawgs repeat is simple enough on paper: follow the formula Kirby Smart has laid out over the past two seasons. Dominate the line of scrimmage and lean heavily on playmakers at WR and RB. That said, the orchestrator of UGA’s consecutive titles is no longer with the team. Stetson Bennett is dropping dimes at LA Rams training camp. The Dawgs will now look to a new voice to lead the locker room and spearhead the offense.

That voice will be redshirt junior Carson Beck, Kirby Smart confirmed to Seth Emerson of The Athletic on Saturday: “Carson Beck is going to be our starting quarterback. He’s done the best job. We communicated that early in the week to the other quarterbacks.”

Kirby Smart confirms Carson Beck as starting QB for Georgia football

This confirms the obvious, as Beck has been the leader in the clubhouse all summer. He’s the oldest QB on the Dawgs’ roster and we have seen Smart favor experience and leadership over recruiting pedigree in the past. Five-star sophomore Brock Vandagriff will continue to draw the attention of fans from the sideline, but this is Beck’s team.

In 11 appearances to date, Beck has completed 36-of-58 pass attempts (62.1 percent) for 486 yards and six touchdowns. He will have several strong weapons at his disposal, such as RB Kendall Milton, WR Ladd McConkey, and future NFL tight end Brock Bowers.

Beck’s future with the program is murky. He could leave for the NFL Draft at season’s end, which is far from unfeasible. Beck is 6-foot-4 with great power behind his throws and he will spend next season behind college football’s best offensive line. The numbers should come naturally, all with a bright national spotlight.

If Beck does stick around for his senior season, he will face more stiff competition ahead of the 2024 campaign — not only from Vandagriff, but from No. 1 freshman recruit Dylan Raiola, who will spend next season a stone’s throw away at Buford High School.

UGA is a cutthroat recruiting school with talent at every position. Beck is going to face a lot of pressure as the successor to the most accomplished college QB in recent memory. Bennett may not have the most natural athletic talent, but he was a brilliant game manager with a penchant for clutch performances. He won back-to-back titles. If the Dawgs fall short of the three-peat, Beck won’t be able to avoid his share of blame — whether it’s justified or not.

If he can lead the Dawgs to the promised land, however, Beck’s legacy will be cemented for all of time.