There is comfort knowing what you have at quarterback, and Georgia coach Kirby Smart can only smile at just how settled the Bulldogs are at the position entering the 2024 season.
Carson Beck started every game last season, ending an apprenticeship behind Stetson Bennett, and went undefeated in the regular season to establish himself as the No. 1 quarterback for the Bulldogs.
“The day and age when you go somewhere and you jump school to school, it’s a popular trend. This kid stuck it out,” Smart said at SEC Media Days in Dallas on Tuesday. “He didn’t get the starting job in a tough moment when the starter went down, and he lost the starting job to Stetson Bennett the week of the UAB game two years ago, and then said, ‘You know what? I’m sticking with it. I’m going to persevere. I am going to show resiliency,’ which is one of our core traits, and he did that. He was able to monetize that as well by staying and succeeding where his feet are.
“He is a great elder for us and a great example of resiliency in college football. Please visit with him today, as he’s one of the leaders of our team.”
Beck is listed among Heisman Trophy favorites by oddsmakers and college football analysts, with NFL pundits counting him as one of the early potential possibilities for the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft.
Beck’s only loss last season — 27-24 to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game — might be the one he and some critics point to entering the 2024 season, where Georgia is again predicted to be the SEC favorite and a College Football Playoff frontrunner.
But Smart said one of the primary themes he’s preaching to the Bulldogs entering fall camp came from an offseason study of Nike’s success story.
“One of the first things we studied was the belief of assume nothing. I think that’s so important in football, because when you assume something or you assume you know someone or that you know somebody’s name that you’re in the room with, you can take things for granted,” Smart said. “Just like starting over from a previous year, assume nothing. Assume nothing. Start from ground zero and build the team different than every other team; Nike did that. Assume nothing. Where does a name come from? If you assume you know everybody’s name you may not know what that name means.”
Georgia is a name everyone knows in college football and on the 2024 schedule, which sets up as a minefield for the Bulldogs right out of the gate against Clemson. They’ll also take the show on the road for most of their anticipated key matches this season, playing at Ole Miss, Alabama, Texas and Kentucky.
“Initially I was wondering how I got that draw, but we’re not one to complain,” Smart said. “We’re one to be excited. I think when you step into the shoes of a University of Georgia football player, you accept that challenge is going to be there.
“I mean, we kind of embrace that and we love it.”
Especially on the road, there is comfort in college football in knowing you have a battle-tested quarterback.
Beck credited his offensive line for keeping him healthy and boosting his confidence last season. When he glances back, he sees a totally different quarterback than the one who put two feet on the ground in Dallas on Tuesday.
“As far as the quarterback goes, I think over the course of last year, if you go look at Game 1 and then you look at Game 14, it’s not even the same quarterback,” said Beck. “Making the decision to come back this year, I’m excited to see what the progression from Game 15 to whatever X amount of games we might play this year is going to look like. Each game more confidence gets built, and that repetition continues to happen, you just become more comfortable within your offense and with your teammates and during the game. Very excited to see that progression continue to unfold.”
One of those teammates, redshirt freshman offensive lineman Kelton Smith Jr., will not be on the field with Beck and the Bulldogs. The school announced Tuesday that the former four-star prospect from Columbus, Ga., will no longer play football due to a pre-existing medical condition.
–Field Level Media
