georgia football quarterback competition espn

As if Carson Beck, Brock Vandagriff and Gunner Stockton didn’t have enough pressure on them, ESPN has tabbed the Georgia quarterback battle as one of the keys to the Bulldogs returning to the College Football Playoff in 2023.

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach points out that with such much-returning talent off of last season’s title team, the quarterback position is one of the few unknowns for the Bulldogs entering next season.

“If Georgia is going to get back to the CFP and have a chance to win three straight national titles, it will have to find a quality replacement for quarterback Stetson Bennett,” Schlabach wrote. “A former walk-on, Bennett had a storybook career and was the engine behind Georgia’s transformation on offense.”

Beck is the most experienced of the three quarterbacks, throwing 58 pass attempts in the past two seasons. Vandagriff is a better athlete than Beck, though the latter has a superior arm. As for Stockton, he has a long history with new Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo. The redshirt freshman also impressed teammates and coaches with his work on the scout team in 2022.

Moments after the national championship game, head coach Kirby Smart praised Stockton for the work he did in helping Georgia for its game against TCU.

“We’ve got some good quarterbacks in there,” Smart said. “We got one that took a black jersey off and took hits all week so he could be Max. And Gunner Stockton said, Coach, take my shirt off. I’ll take the hits.”

Bennett was a Heisman Trophy finalist last season, as he accounted for 37 touchdowns. With Monken leaving as well, there is some question about how the offense will look under new direction.

Smart tabbed Mike Bobo as Monken’s replacement. Bobo is familiar with all three quarterbacks as he was on Georgia’s staff last season as an analyst. All three will compete for the job in spring practice and into fall camp as well.

Helping the next quarterback will be a number of key playmakers such as Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey, along with a veteran offensive line captained by returning center Sedrick Van Pran.

Georgia also brings back seven starters on the defensive side of the ball as well, with the Bulldogs likely to have one of the top defensive units in the country once again.

The Bulldogs do play a manageable opening schedule, with the first four games of the 2023 season all coming at home. Georgia’s first road game isn’t until Sept. 30, when it travels to Auburn. The other two SEC road games include trips to Vanderbilt and Tennessee. There is also the annual neutral site game against Florida in Jacksonville, Fla.

Georgia has won the last two national championships, becoming the first program to do so in the College Football Playoff era. No team has done was won three straight national title since Minnesota did it in the 1930′s.

Spring practice begins for Georgia on March 14, while the spring game is set for April 15 in Sanford Stadium.

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