The Battle for QB2 is the Quarterback Competition in 2021
Georgia is entering their final week of spring practice this season, and we are just days away from G-Day back inside Sanford Stadium. The headliner at the quarterback position isn’t what some may have expected.
After an interview back in March with Atlanta’s 680TheFan, Coach Smart was quoted as saying, “It’s JT’s job, he’s played the position, he’s really on top of it, he’s doing a good job in our offense, but that’s not to say we’re not giving other guys a look.” It was a very unusual statement from a coach who does not like to reveal much of his cards.
While it was evident for many that Daniels would be the presumed starter in the 2021 season opener against Clemson, after leading the Dawgs to a 4-0 finish as the starting quarterback last season. Coach Smart never before asserted a starter at a position like quarterback before going through spring and fall camp.
With JT the entrenched starter for the Dawgs at quarterback, it has allowed those behind him to take up more of the spotlight. The Dawgs have three other quarterbacks on scholarship, all vying for a place on the depth chart behind Daniels.
Stetson Bennett being the most experienced out of the three as Bennett started in five games last season as a junior and played in six of the ten. Bennett assumed the starting duties after coming off the bench to relieve a struggling D’Wan Mathis in the season opener against Arkansas. Bennett would lead the way for Georgia in a come-back win over the Razorbacks.
Bennett’s on-the-job experience makes him a great candidate to be the backup to JT Daniels. But expertise alone will not rank him as the second quarterback on the depth chart. Georgia also returns redshirt freshman Carson Beck.
Beck, the former Mandarin, Florida, native took last season was a learning year and redshirted as he learned the system under Todd Monken and got used to his surroundings in Athens. With a full year under his belt in Athens, Beck has impressed so far through spring practice with his arm strength and knowledge of the system through two scrimmages.
Beck has continued to put together strong showings throughout spring practice and is positioning himself to be Daniels’s successor once Daniels departs for the NFL. Beck’s name has been in the mouth of the majority of Georgia fans throughout spring.
Much like Beck last year, current true freshman Brock Vandagriff comes to Athens with a lot of hype following his decorated high school career out of Prince Avenue Christian School. Vandagriff is developing well, considering that he has to learn the system under Todd Monken while playing the quarterback position.
Brock brings much much-welcomed athleticism and another large arm to the quarterback room in Athens. Learning the playbook and continuing to develop in practice is what Brock needs to worry about in his freshman season, much like Beck did a year ago.
With fans being allowed in the stands of Sanford Stadium this coming Saturday for G-Day, the spotlight will be on for these three quarterbacks to show just how far they’ve come this spring. The battle to listed “QB2” will not be decided this spring, but the spring game will weigh as a significant test for the quarterback room.