ATHENS — Sedrick Van Pran is entering his third season as a starter. He’s got more starts than anyone on the team, with Saturday being his 31st as a Bulldog.
He arrived in the same class as quarterback Carson Beck, who will be making his first career start on Saturday.
“He jokingly says that we’re back reunited so it’s really good to have him back there and work with him,” Van Pran said.
Beck’s waited his time to be a starter. As has been well-documented, he’s the only quarterback among the top 50 quarterback prospects in the 2020 recruiting cycle to have not started or transferred elsewhere. Saturday will be the first chance to validate all the hard work he’s put in to become Georgia’s starting quarterback.
He had the chance to start in 2021, but was beat out by Stetson Bennett. Instead of bouncing out of the program, Beck kept working. In 2022, he knew he was one play away from seeing the field and prepped like he was the starter. Teammates took notice of the way he commanded the huddle, even prior to last season.
It undoubtedly helped him win the job, along with his knowledge of the offense. Those extra reps afforded to him by simply being older and enrolling in college before Brock Vandagriff and Gunner Stockton, also played a big part in winning the job.
That mastery of the offense allowed Beck to further stake his claim as the starter during fall camp. In the final stretches of the competition, Beck knew what he had to do to at last win the starting job.
And as fall camp rolled around, Beck got more and more confident.
“I think a big thing for him was the confidence I guess that he developed through fall camp,” tight end Brock Bowers said. “I feel like he just got faster and faster at, like, making his reads. I mean, the more reps you take the better you’re going to be, so I think that helped him a lot. I think the confidence thing is a huge deal for him.”
The hope is that Beck only continues to grow now that he’s QB1 for Georgia. It undoubtedly boosted Beck’s morale when he opened Georgia’s spring game as the starting quarterback. He completed 13 of 18 pass attempts for 210 yards and a touchdown.
When Beck was given an extended run in the offense against Vanderbilt last season, he delivered his best performance as a Bulldog. He completed eight of his 11 pass attempts for 98 yards and two touchdowns.
There’s proof in Beck’s prior play that confidence leads to better play. Consider in the UAB game in 2021, when Beck was inserted into the game as the second quarterback, he completed only four of his 10 pass attempts, one of which was a pick-6.
All of Beck’s time in Georgia’s system has given him mastery over certain elements of the offense. Smart is confident Beck won’t be overwhelmed when he steps to the line. Van Pran knows Beck is as good as any quarterback he’s worked with in terms of identifying opposing defenses and knowing how to pick them apart.
“I think that’s one thing that he really does well is understanding the concept that we’re in, understanding what the defense is in, and kind of — I don’t want to say predetermining, but I guess having an idea of where the ball should go,” Van Pran said. “So I think he does a really good job of doing that.”
Beck knows what he’s looking at when he steps to the line. It helps he’s surrounded by great talent. Bowers is the best tight end in the country, while Van Pran might be the best center.
They’ll both help Beck as he takes on a bigger role in the Georgia offense. Though how much they’ll help him might actually be overrated.
Because Beck is plenty competent.
“He doesn’t have to rely on Sedrick like maybe a new quarterback would because I don’t really just see Carson that way,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “He understands it. He gets it. He’s had a ton of reps. I think the fact that he’s got somebody who has played in big moments, somebody who has snapped the ball in tough environments is comforting but as far as what Sedrick provides for Carson, it’s probably reassurance.”
One area where Beck knows he can lean on Van Pran is in leadership. Van Pran was a team captain last year and likely will be one again this year. His voice is as loud as anyone’s on the team.
As the quarterback of the team, Beck’s voice is going to carry a certain weight. He’s used fall camp as a way to find it but it’s still going to take time to fully develop.
That’ll come by playing more games and seeing more things as Van Pran has acclimated over the past two seasons.
“I think that he does an amazing job of, you know, every once in a while — even though he’s not a very vocal guy,” Van Pran said. “He’s not the guy that’s going to go out there and yell at everybody, but when the time is needed and he feels like he has to step up, I think he does a good job of making sure he’s that guy for the offense.”
Saturday will be a big for Beck. He’s worked at being Georgia’s starting quarterback for nearly four years. That’s allowed him to make all the throws and have a deep understanding of opposing offenses and defenses. Those elements are why he’ll start on Saturday.
And the confidence he’s gained and the leadership he’s developing, are why Georgia believes Beck can and potentially will lead the Bulldogs to another national title.
