Nazir Stackhouse says Georgia quarterbacks 'all look great'

Georgia has won back-to-back national titles, and there are few schools as well-equipped or as used to replacing a lot of high-level talent as Georgia is. At no position will that proposition be under higher scrutiny this spring than the quarterback position.

It’s a race to replace Stetson Bennett, the unflappable veteran who was exactly what Georgia needed in so many moments over the last two years.

The task is certainly daunting, but it’s one that three different players are working to achieve this spring, with a wide open competition. The battle for the starting job may well last into fall camp. And hopefully for Georgia’s sake the entire group has learned quite a bit from Bennett.

“Carson (Beck), Brock Vandagriff, Gunner Stockton, they all look great,” defensive lineman Nazir Stackhouse said. “They all look great. I couldn’t even compare them any different because them playing behind him, I’m pretty sure they gained a lot of information from him and talents.”

Bennett was a complete rock for Georgia the past two seasons.

His numbers really took off in 2022 as he became more comfortable in the offense and the Dawgs let it rip on occasion. Bennett finished the year 310-of-454 passing for 4,127 yards with 27 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. He also added 205 yards and 10 touchdowns rushing.

It’s all but a certainty that whichever Georgia quarterback takes over as a first-year starter will have a hard time hitting those numbers.

But that’s not to say they can’t try.

“I’m pretty sure they sat back and waited,” Stackhouse said. “Like I said, those opportunities come and those opportunities are here for those three great quarterbacks we have right now. They’re doing really good. It’s almost hard to tell who’s going to start. And it’s a great challenge and a great opportunity for all three.”

More info on the Georgia quarterbacks

Beck is the oldest of the three competitors for the starting job. He’s a member of the 2020 recruiting class, and he was ranked as a four-star prospect by the On3 Industry Rankings. He checked in as the No. 224 overall player in the nation and the No. 16 quarterback in his class, hailing from Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin.

Vandagriff is the middle prospect, arriving at Georgia as a member of the 2021 recruiting class. He was a five-star prospect, ranked as the No. 22 overall prospect in the nation in his recruiting class and the No. 4 quarterback in the class. He hails from Bogart (Ga.) Prince Avenue Christian School.

Stockton is the youngest prospect in the group, a member of the 2022 recruiting class. He ranked as the No. 150 overall prospect in his class and the No. 9 quarterback in the class. He is from Tiger (Ga.) Rabun County.