For what seems like the first time in ages, Georgia will have a quarterback other than Stetson Bennett at the start of the 2023 college football season.
Bennett concluded his legendary career for the Bulldogs with a six-touchdown performance against TCU in the 2023 College Football Playoff national championship game. He finished his final year in Athens with 4,127 passing yards and 27 passing touchdowns, to go with 204 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns.
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The Bulldogs now turn to the future for their leader. The most likely option is Carson Beck, who led two late scoring drives against the Horned Frogs to stamp a 65-7 UGA win and the biggest blowout in college football national championship game history.
Here’s everything you need to know about Beck before the start of the 2023 campaign:
Who is Carson Beck?
Beck was tabbed as Georgia’s top backup for the 2022 season behind Bennett and, presumably, the top challenger for the starting job in 2023.
Beck is a four-star recruit out of the 2020 class. He ranked 250th nationally and ninth among pro-style quarterbacks. Notable signal-callers in that class include Alabama’s Bryce Young, Clemson’s D.J. Uiagalelei (now with Oregon State) and Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud.
Beck may have been in good company coming out of high school, but had to wait his turn behind Bennett to challenge for the Bulldogs’ starting position. Still, the rising redshirt junior has a history of competing at a high level.
Beck played at Mandarin High School in Jacksonville, Fla., where he was invited to the 2019 Elite 11 Finals. He was the 2018 USA Today Florida Offensive Player of the Year. As a senior, he led the Mustangs to a 7-4 record and completed 136 of 278 passes for 1,843 yards and 20 touchdowns. He also also rushed for 167 yards and six more scores.
Prior to his entrance in the 2023 CFP title game, Beck played in 11 career games, completing 34 of 55 passes for 455 yards and six touchdowns to two interceptions. He also rushed 12 times for 58 yards.
MORE: Explaining Stetson Bennett’s college football eligibility at age 25
Who will compete with Carson Beck for the starting QB job at Georgia?
It’s never easy to replace a legend, but Beck will compete for the opportunity to do that in 2023. The good news is that Bennett went against the idea of teams needing a blue-chip talent at QB to lead a national championship run. Bennett was a preferred walk-on who transferred from junior college before becoming Georgia’s unquestioned starter in 2021.
Beck’s biggest competition to start in 2023 likely will be Brock Vandagriff, the No. 17 overall player in the 2021 class and its No. 4 quarterback. Whoever wins the offseason battle will be expected to lead a potential third consecutive CFP championship run.