ATHENS — Carson Beck’s lofty player ranking among analysts, scouts and coaches remains high with the season-opening game approaching.

An ESPN pay site article revealed thoughts from anonymous SEC coaches on Beck’s attributes from a scouting standpoint.

“He’s the most talented quarterback in our league,” an SEC coach told ESPN. “He’s a little bit skinny, but he’s got the height, he’s got great arm action, great velocity.

“He sees the field really well, and you could just tell, in the second half of the season, his confidence really grew being their quarterback. And they put the game in his hand. Prior to the Auburn game, they didn’t really trust him.”

Georgia coach Kirby Smart explained how first-year coordinator Mike Bobo brought Beck along last season, giving the talented quarterback time to shake the rust off after not seeing significant action his first three years in the program.

“Early in the year last season, we probably did try to protect him too much,” Smart said last March. “But then you see nothing ever really affects him and know you’ve just got to let the cat go play because we were either going to make it or not make it on his back.

“As the year went on, he got better and better, but we were probably a little too slow with him out of the gate.”

Even so, Georgia recorded its third consecutive undefeated regular season in 2023 and ran its SEC-record win streak to 29 games before falling short in the SEC Championship Game against Alabama.

Beck’s consistency in the Bobo offense, however, was noted as he completed 65 percent or better of his passes in each game and did not throw more than one interception in any of the contests.

“Real arm talent, touch, velocity, all that,” an SEC defensive coordinator said in the ESPN story. “And he’s big. You don’t realize how big that kid is until you get up on him.”

Indeed, Beck came in at 6-4, 233 in his spring football weigh-in, per reports, carrying NFL prototype size in addition to his proven arm talent.

Beck’s mobility, while certainly an asset, might not be on display this much this season as it one day will in the NFL however.

Back-up Gunner Stockton is coming off his best scrimmage, but Stockton’s attributes — mobility, grit and playmaking off the scramble, similar to Stetson Bennett’s — do not necessarily match the sort of game plans Bobo figures to draw up for Beck.

Beck, in addition to his physical attributes, is among the more impressive “processors” in the collegiate QB ranks with his ability to quickly diagnose defenses and adjust his offensive sets and play calls accordingly.

There will soon be plenty of opportunities for Beck to live up to the lofty preseason hype, which he earned by ranking among the nation’s passing leaders last season.

The Bulldogs open the season at noon on Aug. 31 against Clemson in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.