Kirby Smart reveals how Georgia will determine its starting QB during preseason practice

Kirby Smart revealed how Georgia would determine its starting quarterback during preseason camp. It’s seemingly a two-way battle between Carson Beck and Brock Vandagriff, but don’t rule out the impact of Gunner Stockton.

Most analysts expect Beck to get the nod after he seemingly took the lead in spring camp, but there have been no decisions from Smart yet, at least officially. If there’s any program that’s designed to get its quarterback ready, it’s Georgia’s.

That defense is ready to challenge all three quarterbacks, according to Smart.

“Well they get to go two Saturdays in a row and fall camp against one of the best defenses in the country,” Smart said on SEC Network. “So when you put them out there against them, and you say we’re gonna do six third downs in a row, you find out a lot about a quarterback on third down more than you do on first and second. So we’re gonna put them in the heater and find out what we should do, like we used to do to Greg (McElroy) back in the day.”

Smart was asked about the race between the top two quarterbacks, but added that Stockton is in the running too as he sung his praises.

“You got to measure that within gains but at the same time, I think Carson is a good athlete too,” Smart said. “He’s a great baseball player. He made some plays last year with his feet in critical situations. When he came in, Brock didn’t get a chance to do much of that, you know, because by the time we put him in the game, he didn’t get a chance to run the complete offense. 

“So we get to see that every day in practice and then Gunner (Stockton’s) a good athlete. So I think all three of these kids are good athletes, to be honest.”

Beck saw some playing time over the course of 10 games the last two seasons. He has 486 yards, six touchdowns, two interceptions and a 62.1% completion percentage. He added 58 yards on the ground.

Vandagriff only threw three passes for Georgia in four appearances the last two years. Stockton is the intriguing prospect for Smart’s next quarterback for the Bulldogs.

As a member of the Class of 2022, Stockton was a four-star recruit out of Tiger (Ga.) Rabun County, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 15 overall prospect in the state, the No. 9 quarterback in the class and the No. 150 overall prospect in the class.