Kirby Smart explains what he's looking for from his starting quarterback

Kirby Smart isn’t really looking at arm strength or tight window throws when it comes to Georgia’s quarterback battle this spring and into the fall and summer. And for what it’s worth, top-shelf physical abilities are the price of admission for a Georgia quarterback recruit.

Instead, as Smart assesses Carson Beck, Brock Vandagriff and Gunner Stockton he’s examining their approach to the position. From Smart’s perspective, avoiding mistakes and “eliminating losing the game” is key.

“You’ve got to make good decisions. Use your rules. Take your coaching. And then not make mistakes. That’s ultimately what a quarterback does. It’s not just making plays, it’s not making mistakes. And eliminating losing the game is the first objective,” Smart said on 680TheFan in Athens.

Within the structure of the offense, Smart is most concerned with how well the quarterbacks are processing.

The quarterback who can best handle taking in the information of the offensive play call, what the defense is showing, and then mix in whatever rules and checks that are embedded in the offense is the one that will get Georgia where it needs to go.

“Yeah, it’s an accumulation of processing information and making decisions. Not necessarily just growth, it’s decision making. Did you make the right decision on this play? Did you get us in the right protection? Did you put your eyes in the right place? Did you process the information that you got? Both what coach [Mike] Bobo gave and then also what coach [Glenn] Schumann gave you because he’s giving you a defense, so you’ve got to process a lot of information,” Smart said.

As for a decision on who will get the keys to the offense to start 2023, Smart isn’t there yet.

“All three of them are really good leaders. All three of them are really good quarterbacks and the beauty is we get more time to process information. Do you make a decision on an investment when you’re 25% done looking at it? No. I make a decision when I’m 100% through looking at it, and we’re about 25% of the practices we would get before we kick off next year,” Smart said.

Between Beck, Vandagriff and Stockton, experience is limited for whoever Smart chooses. Stockton hasn’t taken a live snap for Georgia and Vandagriff has appeared in just five games. Beck has the most experience, playing in 10 games and attempting 58 passes the last two seasons. He completed 62.1% of those attempts for 486 yards and six touchdowns to two interceptions.