The Georgia Bulldogs have been the kings of college football for the last 2 years now, after winning back-to-back College Football Championships. After their 2021 title, and losing a ton of starters including 5 first round defenders many wondered if Georgia would take a step back. How do they encore 2023?… With a 15-0 Championship season. Georgia has now had 25 players drafted over the last two seasons(not including UDFAs). Georgia seems to keep reloading where other programs would rebuild. The biggest question for the Dawgs heading into 2023 is “Who’s going to replace the QB who ended Georgia’s Championship drought in Stetson Bennett?”

Here are Georgia’s candidates:

• Junior Carson Beck- C/O 2020 4 Star
• Redshirt Sophomore Brock Vandagriff- C/O 2021 5 Star
• Redshirt Freshman Gunner Stockton- C/O 2022 4 Star

Carson Beck

Heading into spring ball it sounded like a two man competition between Beck and Vandagriff, although Beck was a pretty heavy favorite. However, Coach Smart said in an interview that Stockton should not be counted out. As a Georgia fan, Jack thought Stockton could be a sleeper candidate to take the 2023 starting QB spot. However, this is Beck’s job to lose, and it’s not particularly close. Vandagriff and Stockton will be battling it out for 2023 QB2 duties.

Beck looked far and beyond the best QB in the room at the Georgia Spring Game. He was making nice throws in stride and in tight windows. He made the reads and got the ball out quick. The Beck led team was blowing out their teammates after the first half. 

Gunner Stockton

The QB2 battle in our opinion could have been handed to Stockton based on the spring game. Stockton had a bit of a slow start, but really picked up in the second half. You can tell he’s still a Redshirt Freshman, he still needs some development and time before he’s ready to start. 

Brock Vandagriff

Vandagriff had an extremely rough spring game. He looked a bit antsy and many times decided to run at the first sign of pressure. He’s not quite as developed as you would’ve hoped. There was an interview with him post spring game where he stated he’s not really sure what the future holds. Vandagriff must know he was the QB3 after the spring game, and we wouldn’t be surprised if he hits the portal at some point before summer camp begins. This is not us saying Vandagriff is a bad QB, he could absolutely start for or at least compete for a starting job at another school, but he doesn’t seem to have what it takes to win the Dawgs QB competition.

Our Prediction

It is interesting to note that Coach Smart said that a starting QB will not be named after the spring game. They are taking the competition into the summer and maybe even the season. Don’t forget, Georgia lost their season opening game against Oklahoma this year due to Oklahoma’s agreement to join the SEC in 2024. Now Georgia plays UT-Martin, Ball State, South Carolina, and UAB in the first four weeks of the season. There’s no real rush to have a QB by Week 1. They very well could start all 3 QBs at some point in the first few weeks to see how they all handle real game action. Coach Smart and Coach Bobo need to take their time with this decision, Bennett had the “It Factor” that Championship caliber QBs need, and you need to have the right guy out there if you want to go for a 3-Peat. Ultimately though we suspect that when we see Georgia in December/January, Beck will be at the helm.