Georgia football: A quick look at the 2022 quarterback room

Georgia football suffered a lot of loss since beating Alabama in the national championship a month ago, but one area they didn’t lose from is at the quarterback position.

Starting quarterback Stetson Bennett will return for his super-senior season, but we already knew that. However, his return elevates Georgia’s offense to the level it was last year because it sees one of the key leaders.

Behind Bennett, the competition will be fierce because even though there will be one for the starting job, the Mailman isn’t about to give up his spot. Some may say it wouldn’t matter if a better quarterback beat him or not because he is the starter and head coach Kirby Smart is too stubborn to change — why wouldn’t he be, though?

As we get deeper into the offseason and are about a month away from spring practice beginning — thank goodness — let’s look at each position.

Georgia football sits pretty at the quarterback position with its starter returning and plenty of backups.

With Bennett returning, the Dawgs can breathe easy knowing someone on campus has the experience to run this offense efficiently.

Since Bennett stayed, JT Daniels declared he would transfer. However, since he already did that once, he must graduate before transferring again. So he will be around for the spring until he graduates.

Will he compete with the team? That answer is still unknown at this time, but something we will continue to watch.

So, not including Daniels because he is eventually leaving, Georgia has four scholarship quarterbacks.

Those quarterbacks include

• Stetson Bennett — Super Senior
• Carson Beck — Redshirt sophomore
• Brock Vandagriff — Sophomore
• Gunner Stockton — Freshman

Bennett finished last season with 2,862 yards while completing 64.46% of his passes, throwing 29 touchdown passes and recording seven interceptions. He also had 56 carries for 259 yards averaging 4.6 yards a carry and one rushing touchdown.

Each week he proved his worth, and now, for the first time in his career, he heads into spring ball as the starting quarterback. Things have come full circle for him, and Bennett should enjoy it all.

While he will likely be the starter, there is always competition, so let’s look at the rest of the lot and where they could stack up this spring.

Georgia football backup quarterbacks

Behind Bennett, there is Beck and Vandagriff, who barely got any time on the field last season, but did impress in practice, fall camp and spring ball.

Stockon is coming in from the 2022 recruiting class, and as a guy who rewrote the Georgia High School Association record books, he will be itching to compete. He is an early enrollee and also got to practice some during bowl prep, so Stockton already has a little taste of what it’ll be like this spring.

Beck saw action in four games last year, going 10-of-23 for 176 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. While he didn’t see a ton of action, Beck will likely be the backup to Bennett — if he sticks around and doesn’t transfer.

Last spring, he shot up the depth chart and was supposed to be a starter if anything happened. Instead, Bennett outworked him and won the job over him. Beck has some stuff to figure out, but he would be the second-most experienced quarterback in the room with Daniels gone.

Last year, Vandagriff came in two of Georgia’s games but didn’t complete a pass. It was cleanup duty, and there isn’t much to talk about with his in-game action. However, coach Jim Donnan praised him on the UGASports podcast numerous times, and there is nothing but good things said about him from the staff.

Georgia likes a quarterback who can use his legs, and Vandagriff can do that. He is one of those players who makes plays out of nothing, and with a full year under his belt, now it’s time for him to make his move. He is a talented quarterback just waiting for his shot, and this year he could beat out Beck for that backup position.

Stockton knew what he was coming into at Georgia when he chose to commit, and that should tell Dawg Nation he is a competitor and team guy who isn’t afraid to earn his spot. It’ll be fun to see how he competes this spring and summer, stacking up against the rest of the group.

If college football proves anything nowadays, it’s that it takes one outstanding season to prove to the NFL scouts you’re worthy. The best thing about Vandagriff and Stockton is the laidback attitude they have. They know to be the starter, you have to work for it, and those two guys aren’t going to jump ship because things aren’t going their way.

I’m not saying this is the case with them, but they love Georgia and want to stick around a while.

Georgia could lose a quarterback this offseason, and if that happens, it’s not the end of the world. The Dawgs have a room full of intelligent and talented guys waiting for their shot, so if one leaves, it gives the other two a better shot.

This spring will be fun, though, watching the four compete and seeing who shines. There is a sneaky suspicion it’ll be the two unproven youngsters that flex their muscles this year and make Bennett work a little harder to keep his job.