Georgia Follows The Perilous Path Of Defending Champs With New QBs

UGA head coach Kirby Smart named Carson Beck the starter on Saturday. Will the redshirt junior be up to the task?.

(co-byline: Max Rego / The Messenger)

No matter who won the Georgia quarterback battle, the two-time defending national champions were guaranteed to go for a three-peat with someone other than Stetson Bennett IV. On Saturday, Bennett’s successor was revealed by head coach Kirby Smart: redshirt junior Carson Beck.

Beck, a four-star recruit out of the class of 2020, held off redshirt sophomore Brock Vandagriff and redshirt freshman Gunner Stockton to get the nod. The Jacksonville, Florida native has thrown a pass in only nine games in his collegiate career, completing 36-of-58 passes for six touchdowns against two interceptions.

Those numbers were accumulated in mop-up duty. Now, Beck takes the reins of one of the most talented offenses in the country, one that is transitioning to a new offensive coordinator in Mike Bobo. Bobo, who was the offensive coordinator under former Georgia head coach Mark Richt from 2007-14, returned to the program as an offensive analyst in 2022 and was promoted to coordinator in February, after Todd Monken took the same job with the Baltimore Ravens.

"Carson is ahead of the other guys in terms of what he understands about the offense,” Smart said on Saturday.

There is no doubt that Beck has talent. The 20-year-old was the No. 5 pro-style prospect in the class of 2020, and, in addition to Georgia, had offers from Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Miami and Penn State.

But is he the right choice for the job? Smart may have the last two national titles, but his handling of multiple quarterback situations has left a bit to be desired. In 2018, despite having then-freshman Justin Fields on the roster, Smart stuck with Jake Fromm, who undoubtedly had a lower ceiling than the now-Chicago Bears starter, under center.

Fields transferred to Ohio State ahead of the 2019 season, finishing third in the voting for the Heisman Trophy in his first year with the Buckeyes and leading the program to the national title game in 2020.

Fromm, on the other hand, was productive during his time at Georgia — tossing 78 touchdowns against 18 interceptions, and completing 63.3% of his attempts — but failed to get Georgia back to the College Football Playoff during those two years.

Plus, we have to remember that Bennett was not even the starter to open the 2021 season, which ended with the first of the Bulldogs’ consecutive titles. That year, former USC quarterback JT Daniels began as the starter, then traded places with Bennett until the latter took control of the starting mantle in October. Daniels transferred to West Virginia ahead of the 2022 season, and is now with Rice.

Based on recent college football history, the odds that Beck outperforms Bennett are slim.

Going back to 2000, 11 other defending national champions have begun the next season with a different primary quarterback than the year before. Of those, nine got fewer passing yards per game from their new primary quarterback the next season, with the average team falling from 249.8 yards per game to 206.2 under their new signal-caller.

Beck will not be asked to carry the entire load of the offense, of course. The Bulldogs bring back all three interior offensive lineman, and boast the second-best offensive line unit in the country, per Pro Football Focus.

At the skill positions, running back Kendall Minton averaged seven yards per carry and racked up eight touchdowns on the ground last season, Ladd McConkey (58 receptions, 762 yards, seven scores) is a reliable target at wideout and tight end Brock Bowers is one of the best players in the entire country — regardless of position.

But with the season opener against UT Martin in less than two weeks and No. 12 Tennessee and No. 22 Ole Miss on the docket as ranked opponents in SEC play, Beck will have all the attention and pressure that comes with leading college football's reigning champion.

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Filed under: College Football