Kirby Smart Georgia quarterbacks

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Carson Beck exited spring drills as the leader in the Georgia football quarterback derby, and that’s how he’ll start fall.

“But he hasn’t done enough to say he’s the starter,” UGA coach Kirby Smart told ESPN’s Chris Low this week. “We’ll know when they go against the defense and they’ve got 10 third downs in a row and we’re blitzing the hell out of them.

“We’ll find out then because they’ve got to go against competition.”

Beck is the most experienced returning starter and looked good in the first half of the G-Day Game while operating with the Ones.

But that was a controlled scrimmage, and it was noteworthy that Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey didn’t get nearly the same number of reps when Brock Vandagriff worked with the Ones in the second half.

When asked by DawgNation about the QB rotation during the private media session on Tuesday, Smart told the reporters gathered he would not rush to settle things.

Further, the eighth-year head coach expounded on the SEC Network that Brock Vandagriff and Gunner Stockton have also shown promise.

“Brock didn’t get a chance to run the complete offense,” Smart said. “.We get to see that every day in practice, and Gunner is a really good athlete.”

And now, “they get to go two Saturdays in a row against one of the best defenses in the nation — you put them out there in six third downs in a row, you find out a lot on third downs.”

Go-to guy Brock Bowers said Beck has done a good job, but like the head coach he also had praise for Vandagriff and Stockton.

“They are all great dudes, and Brock is super athletic and he can get out of the pocket and scramble and make plays,” Bowers said, “and then Gunner is always dropping dimes and he throws the rock really good.

“I’d hate to be the person that would have to choose between those three.”