After spending last season as the backup to Stetson Bennett, Carson Beck will finally get his chance to start at quarterback for the Georgia Bulldogs. Head coach Kirby Smart made the announcement after the team’s second scrimmage on Saturday.
Carson Beck: Starting QB for the Georgia Bulldogs
Beck beat out Brock Vandagriff and Gunner Stockton for the job after the three competed for the position since the spring. Coach Smart told the media that Beck was made aware of the decision earlier in the week.
“He’s done the best job,” Smart told the media on Saturday. “We communicated that earlier in the week. The other guys have done a tremendous job in terms of competing.”
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While this has been an ongoing battle, there were plenty of signs that showed Beck was going to be the starting quarterback.
Last season, he was the backup to Bennett and appeared in seven games for the Bulldogs. He completed 74% of his passes, throwing for 310 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions in the 2022 season.
In his career, Beck has completed 62% of his throws, totaling 486 yards with six touchdowns and just two interceptions on 58 total passes. He’s also run for 58 yards on 12 rushing attempts in two seasons played.
Going into spring football, Beck took first-rep snaps with the offense and showed early that he was the right man for the job. In Georgia’s spring game, he completed 13 of 18 passes for 210 yards while leading multiple scoring drives.
His accuracy and decision-making in the game are what helped him stay ahead of Vandagriff and Stockton for the job.
An advantage for Beck over the other two quarterbacks is his experience on the field.
The junior quarterback has thrown 58 passes in games during his career with the program. Vandagriff and Stockon have not thrown a collegiate pass in their careers yet.
Watching Beck play on the field, there are similar traits to Bennett in the way the duo play. Beck’s decision-making has improved and looked much better in 2022 with zero interceptions. While we have not seen much of his running ability, Beck can use his legs to get out of trouble if he needs to, which is a plus in a conference like the SEC where speed is king.
One aspect of Beck’s new journey as the starting quarterback is how he will work with new offensive coordinator Mike Bobo.
Coach Bobo was previously Georgia’s offensive coordinator back in 2014 when the Bulldogs’ offense averaged 41.3 points per game. The Bulldogs had Bobo on staff last season as an offensive analyst before replacing Todd Monken, who left for the NFL to be the offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens.
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Expectations for Beck will be high, as he will be looked upon to continue the success of an offense that was fifth in the nation in scoring (41.1) and total offense (501.1). T
here’s no lack of talent with their playmakers and offensive line, so if Beck can play at the same level as Bennett, the Bulldogs shouldn’t miss a beat and should be back in contention for a national title.
