Update on injured Georgia QB is not what Dawgs fans want to hear

It may be the Carson Beck show in Athens this year, but Georgia may need to consider adding a quarterback in the spring transfer portal window for depth purposes after last Saturday. Although Beck is the clear-cut starter, and Gunner Stockton looks the part as the obvious No. 2 backup, true freshman Ryan Puglisi was unable to play during G-Day because of a stress fracture he has in his leg.

Puglisi is a four-star coming out of high school, more than capable of handling all that is required to play at a place like Georgia. However, with Dylan Raiola flipping to Nebraska shortly before signing day and Brock Vandagriff transferring to Kentucky, that left Georgia in a bad spot in the quarterback depth department. Factor in Jayden Maiava going to USC over UGA makes this even more obvious.

Despite all that, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart seems to be okay with Puglisi being out for now.

“Yeah, it’s a small stress fracture so it’s not a break or a significant injury. It’s a shutdown injury and let it rest. So we listened to what the doctor said and did that.”

We knew that Puglisi had a knee injury coming to Georgia out of high school. It is unfortunate that he was not physically able to take full advantage of being able to practice much this spring. What it did though was give Stockton even more reps with the two's and three's, as well as more reps for other quarterbacks in Athens such as Sam Bush and Collin Drake. Georgia should be okay, but are we sure?

This is why I fully expect Georgia will try to land a non-SEC quarterback in the spring transfer window.

Ryan Puglisi's injury concerns could reshape Georgia quarterback room

What you have to remember is Georgia has not effectively replaced Vandagriff, or Raiola for that matter, in its quarterback room. Their "departures" put even more emphasis on Beck being the man, Stockton being ready and Puglisi being on deck. While I would attest that Georgia's national title hopes hinge on Beck's rocket right arm, Stockton is competitive as hell as a decent No. 2 option.

However, a Beck injury, combined with the reckless abandon nature of Stockton's game could make Georgia into Iowa East, a team with great defense and special teams that cannot move the sticks for the life of it because of quarterback play. Admittedly, Mike Bobo is a better playcaller in his sleep than Brian Ferentz ever was on his best day in Iowa City. Hopefully, you understand why this is important.

The right quarterback will enter the transfer portal for Georgia. Look for him to be a sophomore who has played in a few games at a Power Four school and wants a bigger opportunity. While the SEC's spring transfer portal rule hurts a team like Georgia in this situation, Smart does not need to do a sales job to get someone to want to come to Athens. Perhaps the Dawgs' next Maiava is out there?

Puglisi should be fine long-term, but he may not be ready to be the backup to the backup just yet.