Aaron Murray names clear favorite in Georgia quarterback battle

On a recent episode of On3’s The Hard Count, host JD PicKell brought on former Georgia Bulldogs star quarterback Aaron Murray. The two went over a wide array of stories going on throughout the college football landscape. But first on the docket was the quarterback situation happening at Murray’s alma mater, Georgia. The Bulldogs headed into this offseason needing to find an answer at quarterback after their College Football Playoff championship game MVP Stetson Bennett left for the NFL.

When asked who he believes will be the starting quarterback for Georgia to start the 2023 season, there was no doubt in Murray’s mind that Carson Beck would lead the Bulldogs’ offense.

“Carson was the guy three years ago. I mean, he was dubbed the starter when JT (Daniels) went down… But from the first time I saw Carson throw the ball, I was like, this guy’s got it. And you just know, when you’re around certain quarterbacks, there’s just that it factor,” said Murray.

“It’s funny because I talk about these NFL quarterbacks like Anthony Richardson getting ready for the draft; I get crazy. I’m like, watch the film, watch the film. You get caught up in seeing these guys throw the football and the way they look and the way the ball is released. And you kind of just say, man, if he can just kind of put it all together, he could be pretty darn special. I think that’s been the case for Carson. Can he put everything together, from the fundamentals to the mental to the leadership, (and) be a really, really good quarterback? And he’s just continued to grind in all those areas, talking with people in the building.”

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Beck was in a highly competitive competition with second-year quarterback Brock Vandagriff for the Bulldogs’ starting quarterback position. During the spring, both he and Vandagriff got opportunities to work with the ones along with freshman quarterback Gunner Stockton sprinkled in from time to time. Still, there was not much either of the other two could do to steal the job away from Beck.

“Man, he looked good; he looked good. I think it’s his team. I think it’s his job. The other quarterbacks looked great, I mean, Georgia would be, most likely, undefeated with any three of them just because of their roster. But I think Carson puts you at a different level, especially with the receivers and tight ends that have been amassed this offseason.”

Murray also revealed that he’s excited about the upcoming season for a number of reasons. One of which is to see just how great Beck looks behind center for the Bulldogs. And in that, Murray has complete confidence in Beck. So much so that he believes a trip to New York is almost all but guaranteed for the current Bulldogs quarterback.

“I can’t wait. I really can’t. I put a little tweet out there… if Stetson Bennett can make it to New York, I think Carson is going to have far superior stats. He’s going to be the best in the country, probably going to win the SEC championship, (and) going to be in the playoffs. If he throws 35-plus touchdowns and he’s on that team, most likely going to be in New York for that ceremony. And I kind of expect Bobo to let him fling it a little bit this year.”