Beck in the lead to be QB1, Georgia’s Smart says

• Chris Low, ESPN Elder WriterJul 18, 2023, 03:01 PM ET

  Close

  • College football press reporter
  • Signed up with ESPN.com in 2007
  • Graduate of the University of Tennessee

NASHVILLE, Tenn.– Georgia coach Kirby Smart told ESPN on Tuesday that Carson Beck has the within track at this moment to be the Bulldogs’ quarterback this season.

“He’s certainly the leader, however hasn’t done enough to say he’s the starter,” said Smart, whose Bulldogs have won back-to-back national championships.Beck, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound junior, is competing with redshirt sophomore Brock Vandagriff and redshirt freshman Gunner Stockton to replace Stetson Bennett as the Bulldogs’ quarterback. Beck was Bennett’s backup a year earlier and attempted just 10 passes as a redshirt freshman in 2021.

Smart said he most likely wouldn’t know for sure if Beck’s the guy up until the Bulldogs’ second skirmish of the preseason.Editor’s Picks 2 Related”We’ll understand when they break the defense and they’ve got 10 third downs in a row and we’re blitzing the hell out of them, “Smart said.”We’ll find out then since they’ve got to go against competitors.”Smart noted that Beck at one point was ahead of Bennett

in the Bulldogs’quarterback chain of command when Beck was No. 2 on the depth chart behind J.T. Daniels. Bennett was then No. 3.”There was a time when the training personnel had Beck in front of Bennett, so

we inherited a pretty good quarterback if we thought this man was better than Stetson Bennett,”Smart said.” Individuals forget that, but there was a leapfrog in there and Stetson ended up being the best guy and it ended up being the best decision. “In a few of the previous Georgia quarterback battles, Smart said the Bulldogs most likely had more weak points and concerns in other locations and need to be much better geared up now to handle any quarterback questions that might emerge.”We still have weaknesses, however we have a more stable ground right now,”Smart stated.”We have less holes and maybe that assists cover for it if the quarterback is not playing along with Stetson. I do not understand. We’ll see.”Bennett, a finalist for the Heisman Prize last season, passed for 6,989 lawns, 56 touchdowns and 14 interceptions

over his last two seasons at Georgia.