Looking forward to a spirited QB competition! May the best QB win! Seniority should not be considered. Hope all stay with the team. One bad play may take out Number One, and the next play can take out Number 2. They will all get a chance to lead the Dawgs to a Natty if the are patient and team members.
I'm a Brock Vandagriff fan, He has the arm, no doubt, but the legs might be his strongest asset. He has the best attitude of them all and I believe he is working long and hard learning to read defenses. Vandergriff is a TRUE DAWG the evidence is all the recruiting help he gave during the Covid pandemic. He's a big reason Brock Bowers is a DAWG. I believe he will rise above the rest and become a two or three year starter. GO DAWGS!
"well let us just say that the Gators' last 2 full time QBs were 2nd round (Kyle Trask in 2021) and 1st round (Anthony Richardson in 2023"____
Well, that should tell us all a little something about the QB Position. Florida didn't win squat while they were holding a 1st & 2nd rounder. Lol...maybe it's not the QB...or the Coach. Interesting.
BTW...I don't think we're gonna know who UGA's "starter" will be, going forward...until about the 4th or 5th game of the season. You "can't tell" much about a QB, against severely weaker opponents...and, the Dawgs have a few, to start the season.
If you "could tell" much...Bennett would have been declared "starter" and "The Second Coming", long before he ever got the job, credit and respect he deserved. Like...right after the UAB game, in 2020. 3 of UGA's 1st three opponents in 2023 couldn't beat UAB in a pillow fight. Lol
I truly wish all three have their shot at playing. The Dawgs always seem to be a 2nd half team. Love to watch the young guys play. However, we tend to struggle getting up big in the 1st half. Costing snaps for the backup Qbs.
Quarterback (3): Carson Beck (Jr.), Brock Vandagriff (R-Soph.), Gunner Stockton (R-Fres.)
Beck enters his fourth year in the program but still has three more years of eligibility thanks to the COVID-2020 season.
All of your logic is based on Beck having only two years of eligibility remaining. He actually has three years of eligibility remaining according to a January article from DawgNation.
GO DAWGS!
This is like the 20th time this story (or a version of it) has been written since the National Championship game. We get it. UGA has three QBs who could all be the starter. The three guys will battle it out in the spring (and summer) to see who wins the job. It's likely that at least one of those three will transfer if they're not named the starter. That's about it. Let's just wait until they practice and see what the coaches decide. After two straight National Championships, I tend to want to give them the benefit of the doubt. Go Dawgs!
@kirkhilles "I believe that Mathis was more of a "we got to give him a shot" type thing because of his medical condition and was a one-time thing. There's no way that based on how poorly he played in that first game (8/17 with one Int) that he played the best in Practice."
Not sure I'm following what you're saying. Can you elaborate? Surely you aren't saying CKS started a QB against Arkansas he didn't feel was his best option because he felt obligated because of what D'Wan went though medically? Huh? Maybe that's easier to believe for you or some than someone got it wrong or not even necessarily wrong but that practice is one thing and when the lights come up, that's another thing. Some people just don't handle the pressure as well as others. It's why professional golfers sometimes miss 3 foot putts for the win. THey make those in their sleep without the pressure.
Everyone looks good in practice, you've heard on here how CKS said that Malakai makes thise plays in practice but in the game maybe he isn't as sure of himself or isn't as aggressive. Well there is the fear of failure. Being too tenative, the game is moving too fast for you versus practice. It happens.
If Carson Beck isn't named the starter before his last transfer window prior to the 2023 season he should split. Beck could go down the road to Gainesville and be their starting QB tomorrow. If Beck puts up big numbers there in a situation where there is low expectations but just enough talent to allow him to succeed at some level ... well let us just say that the Gators' last 2 full time QBs were 2nd round (Kyle Trask in 2021) and 1st round (Anthony Richardson in 2023 unless he has one of the most epic meltdowns between the combine and draft in history) picks.
Not just Gainesville. Beck would likely start at Georgia Tech, Auburn, Miami, TCU, Baylor, Michigan State, Texas A&M, Louisville, Kentucky and a bunch of other schools. But at Georgia, I don't think that people realize how precarious Beck's situation is.
So for Beck to go into the fall with no idea whether he is going to be the starting QB would be insane. If he doesn't get the job, he will still have to transfer anyway, except 2024 will be his only shot. And the list of programs willing to take him seriously as a transfer would significantly shrink because they would be getting a guy who A. has no real college experience as a starter and B. if he wins the job will only be there for a year. And even if Beck wins the job for his new team in 2024 but is only mediocre or good instead of great for various reasons (injuries, supporting cast, needing more experience, needing to learn a new scheme) then too bad. That is all he gets.
For a QB to gamble his NFL future on a single year of playing time is a terrible plan that almost never works out. Nearly all the guys who exploded in 1 season and then entered the draft had significant playing time prior to that one season like Cam Newton (JUCO national champ in 2009 before playing at Auburn in 2010) and Mac Jones (started several games for an injured Tua in 2019 before becoming the QB in 2020). And even there, both Newton and Jones could have returned for at least one more season had they wanted/needed to.
"It seems like with Vandagriff, there are more questions about whether or not he’ll transfer rather than if he’ll win the starting quarterback job."
If Beck emerges as the 2023 starter, its still conceivable that Vandagriff stays at UGA. It's very possible that Beck has a really productive year and enters the 2024 draft, and Vandagriff has two years of eligibility to contend to be the starter. Beck has the same number of years of eligibility that Vandagriff has because he get's the COVID year, but I believe that a productive year along with some impressive numbers will be enough to put Beck into the 2024 draft. This is just my opinion that I offer for free, because it's worth every penny! LOL
GO DAWGS!
All I can say is...I am a "Griff" guy. He is a lot like Stetson with a longer arm and bigger frame. Brock has size and weight to open holes that are not there even as a QB. I don't advocate that, just an fyi. He has the abilitu to tuck and run and really turn on the jets in open field. I do not see him as a pocket passer. I do know he can easily scout the perimeter and throw off balance if forced. Very versatile. Generally, quite accurate. He just needs more in-game experience calling plays. He possesses the mental acuity and field presence of a good leader as far as I can tell. Just my opinion. Beck, Stockton and he will battle it out.
@kirkhilles One correction: Kirby didn't "lay off" from signing any big name QB recruits. We swung mightily for Manning and missed.
I know that it's not how things work, but I still wish that coaches would give more time to 2nd/3rd string QBs once you get a solid lead. Every other position has people rotating in and out, but it's annoying when you're 40 points up at half and don't see a backup till 4th quarter in which case they are just handing off and burning down the clock.
That's what makes Vandagriff so difficult to figure out from the fan's perspective. He only has 3 throws in 2 seasons. Maybe that means that he's not ready, but it still would be nice for fans to be able see that.
In terms of transferring, Smart has laid off from signing any big name QB recruits nor getting an QB transfers, so there should be no legitimate complaints from the room. If Vandagriff can't make it to at least the solid backup QB by his 3rd year (when some QBs are working on their 3rd and final year as a starter and looking to the NFL) then him transferring wouldn't be the worst thing in the world for us. Gunner would be the next guy to focus on.
I believe that Mathis was more of a "we got to give him a shot" type thing because of his medical condition and was a one-time thing. There's no way that based on how poorly he played in that first game (8/17 with one Int) that he played the best in Practice.
No need for the portal... if the top 3 aren't available, especially if it seems short term, give 4 or 5 a crack (who've been in the Georgia culture for a year). In fact, Jackson Muschamp was a 3-star out of high school and has solid pedigree. Didn't we have a comparatively unheralded "3-star" lead this team to two Nattys?! Don't hit the panic button, and try to get 'em all to stay as long as possible... because we've sure as heck seen that just about anything is possible. Go Dawgs!
Hopefully we won't have a D'Wan Mathis deal happen where he looked the best to some coaches in practice and when the lights came on he was CLEARLY not ready for prime time. Stetson came in and took control.
Nothing like real game experience to see who can shine the brightest We just need to let the top 2 candidates take a half each and see who leads the team the best in the 1st game, see who looks most comfortable and then let them start against BAll St game for 3 quarters and let the back up have the rest of that game.
Come the SC game, it better be nailed down and rock solid! It will be the 1st game in a long while where the opposing team will have the best QB, maybe not talented, but the most experience, confidence, and accomplishments.
Defense will be key in that one!
Stetson read defenses better than most and why Kirby loved him in big games. Kirby is a defense first coach--Give up 14 and we only need to score 15 to win. Turnovers are the death nail for a QB and am curious which one of these gentlemen comes out as starter.
I think that if his mental part of the game matches his talents as a passer and runner, I think Vandagriff is the guy.
The "Smart" philosophy is well established.....every snap you place the best players on the field in order to give the TEAM the best opportunity to win every snap. Given this mindset I expect to see Beck designated as the starter for most games but Vandagriff will rotate in as defensive alignments present themselves that are advantageous to his skill set....he will even get some starts. Gunner will get plenty of opportunity to display his football acumen in most games. Requiring opponents to game plan against two QB's will be another arrow in our quiver of weapons!
If all 3 stay. I knew Beck wasn't going anywhere 3 years ago. He is ready I think but if he does not get the job, I think he might stay. Who knows though after waiting this long for it...Brock will probably leave if he doesn't get the nod I think. Gunner, I think stays no matter what.
i've said before, wouldn't be surprised to see different QBs start games one and two next fall to see if one takes control. Maybe, even see in those first two games, cycle all three in throughout the game.