The quarterback battle in Athens is over. Georgia fans finally saw the white smoke they had been waiting for last week when Kirby Smart announced that Carson Beck would be Georgia’s starter at quarterback. Beck, a junior, enters his fourth season with Georgia after serving as the backup during the previous season when the program secured its second consecutive national title. Beck faced stiff competition in the offseason and beat five-star recruits Brock Vandagriff and Gunnar Stockton. The Jacksonville, Florida native is no slouch on his own. Beck was a four-star recruit coming out of high school and had the opportunity to watch and learn under walk-on turned Georiga legend Stetson Bennett for the last few years. In Smart’s press conference on August 19th, he stated that Beck’s ability to grasp the offense was a key factor in his decision. “Carson is very knowledgeable, very intelligent, one of the smartest quarterbacks I’ve been around when handling the volume of offense we want him to do.” With Beck now the lead signal-caller, here are three keys to his success.
Three Keys to Carson Beck’s Success
Favorable Schedule
Georgia’s schedule is very favorable. The Bulldogs will likely be favored by double digits in all if not most of their games this season. Beck’s first four starts this season will be “Between the Hedges.” A favorable non-conference schedule that opens up with UT-Martin, Ball State, and UAB will provide Georgia and Beck plenty of opportunity to get comfortable. UT-Martin is an FCS opponent, perfect for the gunslinger to get started. Ball State is coming off a 5-7 2022, a big loss to open last season against Tennessee. This will be the second straight year that UAB will travel to Athens. The Blazers are starting fresh under head coach Trent Dilfer. Georiga will face SEC East foe South Carolina in Week 3. The Gamecocks have put up little fight in Shane Beamer’s first two years in Columbia. While that contest may be one to look out for, see South Carolina’s upset of #3 Georgia in 2019. Beck has plenty of tools to help ease his transition, starting with his receiving core.
Frisbee Catching Dawgs
Georiga likely will have one of the top receiving corps in college football in 2023. The top two receivers from last year’s team all return for 2023. Brock Bowers led all Georgia receivers last season with 63 catches. The junior tight end averaged 15 yards per catch and had seven touchdowns on the season. Bowers is a dark-horse Heisman candidate and is a matchup nightmare for opposing opponents. Ladd McConkey was second on the team with 58 receptions. Georgia did lose Adonai Mitchell to Texas in the Transfer Portal. Mitchell didn’t catch many passes but had a knack for making big plays and scoring touchdowns the last two years in the College Football Playoff. Georgia did dip into the Portal to add two dynamic receiving threats from their SEC counterparts.
Georgia added Rara Thomas (Mississippi State) and Dominic Lovett (Missouri) from the Transfer Portal. Thomas caught seven touchdowns and averaged just over 14 yards a catch for the Bulldogs. Lovett also showed his big play ability, leading the Tigers in receptions yards, and averaged just over 15 yards a carry in 2023. Beck is a classic pro-style quarterback with a lively arm. Mike Bobo will have plenty of options to design and exploit the opposing defense with these options at receiver.
The Final Key to Success: The Lessons Beck Has Learned
The final key to success is Beck himself and that starts with the UT-Martin game. It is the first opportunity that Beck will have as Georgia’s starter. He’s waited four years for this opportunity, having had to sit behind Bennett and JT Daniels. Most quarterbacks in his shoes would have hit the Transfer Portal. After practice, Beck shared how the connection with his team kept him from looking elsewhere. “The camaraderie that we have, the connection that we have here at the University of Georgia. I think it’s unmatched by other places.” That sense of camaraderie was evident in the Spring when Beck and Vandagriff were competing for the starting job. Rather than having a contentious relationship, the quarterbacks cheered and supported one another.
Beck also shared what he learned from working behind Bennet during the last two seasons. “He got it the worst at quarterback. A lot of people really hated on him a lot. You can see that all over the internet.” Beck shared how, despite the negativity, Bennett’s work ethic was the biggest lesson Beck took away from the Mailman. He went on to say, “He just maintained and kept his head down, kept going. It doesn’t really matter about the noise going on around you as long as you control your actions and effort towards the game.” These lessons will prove vital the first time Beck has a three-and-out or throws an interception. Beck has a great mentor in Bobo, a full complement of receivers, and a schedule that should lead him and Georgia to a successful 2023 campaign.
Photo courtesy: Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK
