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Greg McElroy: Kirby Smart's past QB move still hanging over Georgia

ns_headshot_2024-clearby:Nick Schultz•12/21/21•

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Georgia’s quarterback situation with JT Daniels and Stetson Bennett has been a hot topic of conversation all season. ESPN analyst Greg McElroy said it’s amplified because of another quarterback decision Bulldogs fans aren’t happy about.

Remember, Georgia coach Kirby Smart had to choose between Jake Fromm and Justin Fields in 2018. He ultimately chose Fromm and Fields transferred to Ohio State as a result.

As a Buckeye, Fields played in the College Football Playoff both years and won the 2019 Big Ten Championship MVP. Fromm, meanwhile, lost in a national championship and a SEC Championship for Georgia. The Buffalo Bills selected him in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

But McElroy remembers when Smart had to make that fateful decision and put it into perspective on The Paul Finebaum Show this week.

“Everyone wants to have the memory of what Justin Fields ultimately became and then compare that to what Jake Fromm was or is,” McElroy said. “And that’s really not fair because at the moment, Jake Fromm was still playing at high-level football and Justin Fields was a slow processor. He didn’t make decisions in a timely enough manner to play national championship-winning football at the time that he took over. Now, he goes to Ohio State and the rest is history. Of course, it worked out really well for him.

“But as a true freshman, he wasn’t ready to be the guy. He just wasn’t, and Kirby opted to stay with Jake Fromm and a lot of Georgia fans have gotten very frustrated since that moment, as a result. Well, in case you forget, Justin Fields is still a slow processor. In his first NFL start he got sacked nine times. He just doesn’t move through his progressions very quickly, which is OK. … He’s not there yet, and that’s in the NFL. In college, it was even more highlighted, I think, than he just happened to have better players around him. So it’s going to be really interesting I think to watch what plays out here.”

Daniels was the starter to begin the year, but he missed six weeks with an injury, which meant Bennett jumped under center. Even after Daniels got healthy, Bennett remained the starter, leading to a variety of opinions from Georgia fans.

Georgia is gearing up for its College Football Playoff game against Michigan in the Orange Bowl. That game kicks off on New Year’s Eve at 7:30 p.m. ET.