ATHENS — With Saturday’s G-Day game in the books, the banter about who should be Georgia’s quarterback next season will continue non-stop until the Bulldogs’ opening game Sept. 2. Truth be told, it likely will continue well after that.
Following the 15-practice spring session and the annual intrasquad scrimmage, fourth-year junior Carson Beck clearly emerged atop the pecking order. That’s based strictly on quarterback snap distributions and available statistical information. Beck got the majority of work with the No. 1 offense all spring, as well as during G-Day, while sophomore Brock Vandagriff got the second-most snaps and redshirt freshman Gunner Stockton third.
But coach Kirby Smart emphasized going into and out of G-Day that only about a quarter of the data the coaching staff will use to make a final decision has been processed. Still to come this summer are offseason strength-and-conditioning workouts, 7-on-7 camps, volunteer throwing sessions and eight hours a week of regularly scheduled practices and video-review sessions with offensive coordinator Mike Bobo.
All that will come before the two-time defending national champion Bulldogs open preseason camp the first week of August. Then they’ll have a period of 29 days in which to complete a maximum of 25 full-team practices before the season opener against Tennessee-Martin.
That still does not guarantee that UGA coaches will declare an undisputed starter for the team’s marquee position. In fact, in four of the previous six seasons under Smart before last year, the quarterback that opened the season as Georgia’s starter did not end the season in that role.
So, following is the raw data, the “tale of the tape,” if you will. Let the debate begin:
CARSON BECK
Full name: Carson Raine Beck
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 215 pounds
Age: 20
Jersey: No. 15
Class: Junior (two seasons of eligibility remaining)
Hometown: Jacksonville, Florida
High school: Mandarin
Recruiting: 4-star prospect, No. 9 pro-style QB, per 247Sports; originally committed to Alabama
UGA enrollment: January 2020
Games played: 12
Games started: 0
G-Day 2023: Passing – 15-of-22 (68.1%), 231 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 0 sacks; rushing – 0 attempts
Career statistics: Passing – 36-of-58 (62.1%), 486 yards, 6 TDs, 2 INT; rushing – 12-58-0 TDs
Career highlight: Completed 5 of 8 passes for 98 yards and 2 TDs vs. Vanderbilt in 2022
High school highlights: Threw 5 TD passes in 2018 state championship game and was named Mr. Florida Football. Pass for 5,389 yards and 50 TDs in two years as starter.
They said it: “Thank goodness Carson Beck stayed. Man, does he look the part. I’m so excited to see him do his thing this year.” — Former Georgia QB and current ESPN analyst Aaron Murray after G-Day
BROCK VANDAGRIFF
Full name: Brock Benefield Vandagriff
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 215 pounds
Age: 20
Jersey: No. 12
Class: Sophomore (three seasons of eligibility remaining)
Hometown: Bogart
High school: Prince Avenue Christian School
Recruiting: 5-star prospect, No. 2 dual-threat QB, per 247Sports. Originally committed to Oklahoma
UGA enrollment: January 2021
Games played: 5
Games started: 0
G-Day 2023: Passing – 13-of-25, 175 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, 3 sacks; rushing – 5-16-0 TDs
Career statistics: Passing – 0-of-3 (0%), 0 yards, 0 TDs, 0 INT; rushing – 12-58-0 TDs
Career highlight: Saw action in games against South Carolina, Vanderbilt and Samford last season. Completed 6 of 9 passes for 47 yards in 2022 G-Day game.
High school highlights: Named Mr. Georgia Football after passing for more than 4,000 yards and 46 TDs, rushing for 500 yards and 17 scores and leading Prince Avenue Christian to Class A private school state championship in 2020.
They said it: “He kind of, like, has a different sense of urgency and sense of focus to him. (He’s) getting up, studying the playbook, studying what we have that day. I’m proud of him. He seems a lot more involved in everything that’s going on.” — All-American tight end Brock Bowers, Vandagriff’s roommate
GUNNER STOCKTON
Full name: Gunner Duvall Stockton
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 210
Age: 20
Jersey: No. 14
Class: Redshirt freshman (four seasons of eligibility remaining)
Hometown: Tiger
High school: Rabun County
Recruiting: 4-star prospect, No. 7 overall QB, per 247Sports. Originally committed to South Carolina
UGA enrollment: January 2022
Games played: 5
Games started: 0
G-Day 2023: Passing – 13-of-22, 144 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT, 3 sacks; rushing – 5-(minus 15)-1 TD
Career statistics: None
Career highlight: Had a 54-yard pass to Mekhi Mews and a 4-yard TD run in 2023 G-Day game.
High school highlights: Four-year varsity starter left Rabun County as state record holder for career passing yards (13,652), passing TDs (177) and rushing TDs (77).
They said it: “Gunner did some really good things. ... Gunner has taken reps with the (second team) and the (third team). The key is all those guys get to develop. I can promise you, there’re no quarterbacks in the country getting as many reps as ours are.” — Smart after G-Day
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