Looking ahead to 2022: QBs
This is the first installment of a series on UGAsports.com taking a look at each position ahead of spring practice. Today, we'll start with the quarterbacks.
College football is filled with wonderful stories every year, but you’d struggle to find one any better than the one Stetson Bennett wrote for himself last fall. Whoever suggested this saga would make the perfect 30 for 30 on ESPN was absolutely correct.
From a former two-star walk-on, to leaving Georgia, and finally to coming back on scholarship before quarterbacking the Bulldogs to their first national championship in 41 years. It's a compelling narrative.
With the possible exception of the end of Mark Richt’s tenure six years ago, no subject on the Dawgvent stirred as many opinions as to whether or not Bennett should be the Bulldogs’ starting quarterback.
It wasn’t always pretty.
While many initially disagreed with their decision, Kirby Smart and Todd Monken came out smelling like roses when the Bulldogs won the national title, setting off a celebration that does not figure to end anytime soon.
This brings us back to Bennett, who announced a few weeks ago that he would return for a final season.
It would have been easy for Bennett to ride off into the sunset a state hero, knowing he’d probably never have to pay for a drink the rest of his life. But no. Bennett loves being the quarterback for the University of Georgia.
Bennett also loves next year’s team, and yes, he believes there are ways he can still improve as a quarterback. He’s a competitor and anxious to have a year as the unquestioned guy at quarterback for the team he grew up idolizing as a child back in Blackshear.
He’ll get that chance in March when Georgia kicks off spring drills.
Although Bennett certainly figures to emerge retaining the starter position, he’ll need to be on his toes.
Most experts thought that Carson Beck would already be with a new school, but the Jacksonville native has gone nowhere and will look to re-establish himself as someone coaches can lean on.
Beck emerged last spring as the top backup to JT Daniels before Bennett ultimately took over.
How well Beck does could ultimately determine if he sticks around after spring, especially with the presence of redshirt freshman Brock Vandagriff and early enrollee Gunner Stockton.
Coaches love what Vandagriff brings and were pleased with the job he did as the team’s primary scout team quarterback.
What coaches want to see this spring is more improvement from the former five-star. Sources say that Vandagriff has been working extremely hard and is anxious to show coaches he's taken steps to further his development.
He’ll need to.
Stockton has supposedly been a quick study since arriving in Athens last month. He'll be given ample opportunity to make his case once spring practice gets underway.
Georgia’s quarterback room will be in good hands.