There’s no question Georgia wanted to take a quarterback in the 2023 class.

That signal caller went by the name of Arch Manning. The Bulldogs went all in on Manning as their top target at the position. When he picked Texas, it sent Georgia back to square one.

A player of Manning’s caliber is one that schools are going to go after no matter what. But outside of a stellar talent like that, does Georgia need to take a quarterback in the 2023 class? Just like Manning’s recruitment, the answer is complicated.

On paper, the only quarterback guaranteed to leave after the 2022 season is Stetson Bennett. He and his Social Security checks are in their last year of eligibility in Athens, completing a college football journey unlike any in the program’s history.

That leaves Georgia with Carson Beck, Brock Vandagriff, and Gunner Stockton as scholarship quarterbacks next spring. For the moment, let’s assume that all three stick around after the season to battle for the starting job in the spring of 2023.

By the end of next spring, there will be a winner or at least a big favorite to go into the fall as the starter. That’s when the transfers come into play.

Let’s say it’s Carson Beck. That will leave redshirt freshman Gunner Stockton and redshirt sophomore Brock Vandagriff as the odd men out at a position where there’s only one player on the field at a time.

That leaves a high probability that one or both of those guys end up transferring. Of the four scholarship quarterbacks on the roster now, there could be only one or two left by the time the 2023 season kicks off.

So what does Kirby Smart do to prepare for that scenario? The first scenario is taking a high school quarterback in the 2023 class.

Most of the top signal callers are either already committed or haven’t shown much interest in Georgia. Kasen Weisman out of South Paulding High School is one to keep an eye on, although Georgia hasn’t offered yet.

Weisman has visited Athens before and received some positive feedback from the coaches. He’s one of the few uncommitted quarterbacks who has received interest from Georgia in the past.

There is also the chance Georgia tries to flip a quarterback from another school. Recent Alabama commit Dylan Lonergan is one that comes to mind, although he didn’t include Georgia among his finalists before committing to the Crimson Tide earlier this month.

Taking a transfer quarterbacks would be another option. Smart hasn’t been shy about using the portal to address depth issues in the past. But if a quarterback decides to transfer to Athens, he won’t be doing so just to be a warm body for practice. He will be coming with at least the opportunity to compete for and win the starting job.

In that scenario, a transfer winning the starting job could lead to another quarterback currently on the roster deciding to transfer out. Even if Georgia adds a signal caller via the portal, it could still be down to two scholarship quarterbacks after next spring.

So what does all this mean?

For starters, Smart won’t throw a scholarship at a quarterback just for the sake of doing so. For a player to earn a scholarship in Athens, Smart has to see said player as a potential contributor to the team. There’s a reason why there hasn’t been a rash of 2023 quarterbacks reporting Georgia offers in recent weeks.

That seems to make the transfer portal the more likely scenario. But again, adding a transfer quarterback could lead to even more attrition among the quarterbacks already in Athens.

So, in essence, nobody really knows. Should Georgia add a 2023 quarterback? Probably, especially in the day and age of the transfer portal. Will they? It’s still very uncertain, especially with how few quality signal callers are still out there in the class. The picture will become clearer as more and more prospects play out their senior seasons.