On Monday, Georgia quarterback commit Ryan Montgomery announced that his senior high school season is over after suffering a knee injury that will require surgery to repair. The four-star is Kirby Smart’s lone QB in the 2025 recruiting class and is the No. 9 quarterback in the country according to 247Sports composite rankings.
— Ryan Montgomery (@RyanMonty2025) August 26, 2024
Smart has been very preemptive in his efforts to replace Carson Beck once his career in Athens inevitably comes to an end following the 2024 season, and potentially the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
Former five-star Brock Vandagriff left to take the starting job at Kentucky, but 2022 four-star Gunner Stockton has been waiting in the wings and this offseason he was joined by incoming redshirt freshman transfer Jaden Rashada from Arizona State and 2024 four-star Ryan Puglisi.
Stockton is QB2 this year, but next offseason will likely feature a three-man QB battle between Stockton, Rashada, and Puglisi, giving Montgomery plenty of time to recover and acclimate to college football. However, after losing a year of development, Montgomery could fall behind and find himself buried in the quarterback room in Athens by the time the No. 3 QB in the 2026 class, Jared Curtis arrives on campus.
With the depth Smart has amassed, Georgia doesn’t need to overreact to this news and search for another 2025 QB before signing day this winter, and that’s good news because there aren’t many available.
The top uncommitted quarterback in the 2025 class is three-star Jamar Malone from Daphne, Alabama who recently picked up offers from San Diego State and TCU. Malone is the 39th-ranked QB in the class.
Even where there isn't a need, taking a quarterback every year is how a program builds sustainable depth, and that could be compromised if Montgomery's growth is stunted. If the loser of next year's quarterback battle views the transfer portal as his best path to the field, the Dawgs could quickly be down to just two QBs, with Montgomery ramping back up and anxiously awaiting the arrival of Curtis in 2026.