ESPN says spring's impact on Georgia's quarterback competition was 'not much'

There were quarterback battles waged across the college football landscape during the spring practices. However, arguably there was none bigger than the one taking place in Georgia. The defending back-to-back national champion Georgia Bulldogs were on a quest this spring to find their replacement for Stetson Bennett, who is now off to the NFL.

While many had their eyes glued on the battle between Carson Beck and Brock Vandagriff, ESPN was of the mind that the battle was won before it even started. According to their analysts, Georgia spring practices had very little impact on the Bulldogs’ quarterback competition.

“Not much, if at all. Kirby Smart talked about Georgia’s ability to give their quarterbacks more reps than anyone in the country, because they almost always have a third unit and sometimes even a fourth,” wrote ESPN’s Harry Lyles Jr.

“Beck is the quarterback with the most reps given he has been around the longest, and after an impressive performance in the spring game, he looked the part.” Smart said, ‘I was really pleased with all three quarterbacks and what you saw today was some of what we’ve seen all spring. We have three good quarterbacks who can make the throws and do a really good job. I was pleased with those guys. It should be noted Smart also went out of his way to mention Vandagriff had some passes that were dropped.”

The battle to be named Georgia’s next starting quarterback is mainly between Beck and Vandagriff, but true freshman Gunner Stockton has been making some noise in the spring too. However, Georgia has given Beck the upper hand, dating back to last season. Beck was Bennett’s primary backup last season and did well when on the field, completing 74.3 percent of his passes (26-35) for 310 yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions.

Vandagriff played in two games last season, against Samford in Georgia’s second game, followed by an appearance against South Carolina the following week. And in those two games, he attempted two passes and completed neither. But he was able to rush for seven yards on a single attempt against Samford.

While the starting quarterback job is basically Beck’s to lose, the Bulldogs quarterbacks made it an exciting spring for fans to enjoy. Vandagriff and Stockton also gave fans a preview of what’s to come when either one of them takes the reigns down the line. And they also put the rest of the college football world on notice that Georgia is going to be a problem for years to come.