Carson Beck will lead the Georgia football team out of the tunnel, while Brock Vandagriff and Gunner Stockton will have to serve as Bulldog backup quarterbacks for yet another season.
With Carson Beck being named the starting quarterback for this year's Georgia football team, promising backups such as Brock Vandagriff and Gunner Stockton have some decisions to make about their long-term futures in Athens.
While it makes absolutely no sense for either blue-chipper to transfer right now, it would not be shocking to see either one of them, possibly both, enter the transfer portal after Georgia's second title defense reaches its conclusion. It is a combination of Beck having more eligibility, as well as two more blue-chippers coming in with five-star Dylan Railoa and four-star Ryan Puglisi in 2024.
It could go either way, but we are going to need to see how the Dawgs' season turns out first.
Georgia football: Carson Beck wins starting job, will Brock Vandagriff transfer?
The good news for Vandagriff is he did really push Beck this offseason. Beck was thought to be the Week 1 starter as soon as Stetson Bennett IV played his final down in the Red and Black at SoFi. Beck was Bennett's primary backup a year ago. Keep in mind defensive-minded head coach Kirby Smart favors the incumbent, as Beck has hundreds of more in-game reps over Vandagriff.
Although Vandagriff hails from nearby Bogart, the son of a high school head coach nearly went to Oklahoma instead of the Power Five behemoth down the road. That could indicate him potentially transferring to a program like USC next spring. He may be in an ideal position to compete with the likes of Malachi Nelson for former Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley after Caleb Williams turns pro.
All things equal, Stockton may stick around for another year longer than Vandagriff for two major reasons. One, he is a grade behind Vandagriff. And two, his primary recruiter to South Carolina, the school where he initially committed to, was Mike Bobo, Georgia's former star quarterback, now back at his alma mater for his second stab as offensive coordinator. He could win the job next year.
I would venture to guess that if Beck balls out and gets favorable grades from scouts, he could turn pro after only one year as the starter. Keep in mind that this is his fourth year in the UGA program. If that happens, it might afford for Vandagriff and Stockton to duke it out for the 2024 starting job with the likes of Raiola and Puglisi keeping pace. Honestly, this is the ideal situation.
Truth be told, Beck may end up being a two-year starter in Athens before being a day-two pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. If that is the likelier outcome, then I would totally expect for Vandagriff to transfer. He will have already graduated, and would probably have two years of eligibility to start somewhere else. Stockton could stick either way, but we all know what Raiola is as a pure talent.
Frankly, there are too many moving pieces to forecast what Vandagriff could do, and most definitely Stockton. Neither should transfer until after this season. After all, Georgia will be leading in probably all of its games, affording ample opportunities for Vandagriff and Stockton to get meaningful reps in games that actually matter. Football is also a game of injury, so remember that!
Yes, Vandagriff could be transferring soon, but he is the backup on the defending national champs.