Kirby Smart on the quarterback competition

Although most expect Carson Beck to be the starting quarterback when Georgia opens its season against Tennessee-Martin, head coach Kirby Smart made it clear Wednesday that he's not too close to making a decision.

His message was clear.

“I want to see them be where their feet are,” Smart said. “I just got through talking to the team 10 minutes ago, and I had three or four older players, fifth-year and fourth-year players tell the younger players what the expectation for training camp is. That's exactly what I think about when I think about quarterbacks.”

So, although most see Beck as the likely choice to start, both Brock Vandagriff and Gunner Stockton will have their opportunities to show they can be the man.

“I want them to worry about today's walk-through, today's recovery period, today's meetings, whatever we're allowed to have, we're going to have today, and the only thing you should worry about is that tonight you start worrying about tomorrow,” Smart said. “For those quarterbacks, it's not to overwhelm themselves with results, but to overwhelm themselves with the process of getting better.”

All three will be evaluated equally, and ultimately, Smart said whoever does the best will ultimately win the job.

Each has areas in which to grow.

“They're going to get a lot of reps in the next 25 practices. They're going to get a chance to compete in the next 25 practices. Each one of them has individual things they need to work on, but for the whole, I want to see them manage the offense, understand the offense, get people lined up, and execute,” Smart said. “The guy that does that best in critical situations will be the guy that becomes the quarterback.”

Beck, of course, has the most in-game experience.

In five games, Beck completed 24 of 32 passes for 279 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions in mop-up work. Vandagriff, meanwhile, played in two games but did not attempt a pass, while Stockton did not see any in-game action.

“Carson is a very even-keeled individual,” Smart said. “He's been that way since we recruited him all the way back to his 11th-grade year. He's not a high and low, not a real emotional guy. He's not a real fiery guy. He's very laid-back, and he understands his job. He's very intelligent.

“Every leader has their own way, and he certainly commands the room. I think the players around him understand how bright he is, and they trust him,” Smart said. “Carson has had a lot of reps and a lot of work, but it just hasn't all been game reps. He's had a huge mass of reps against good defenses, against a really good defense in ours. But his leadership method is kind of still being developed, no different than Gunner and Brock. Each one has different ways about them, and that's true with the guy that just left, too.”