Kirby Smart reveals one of the biggest challenges for Carson Beck

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Carson Beck is back for another season at Georgia, hoping to win a national championship after falling short last season. Expectations are going to be high for Beck, currently being tied atop the odds list for the Heisman Trophy. But Georgia is losing a few key players around him, something Kirby Smart believes is the biggest challenge heading into spring.

“I think one of the biggest challenges for him is being comfortable and trusting the receivers around him,” Smart said on Tuesday following practice. “He’s had the fortune and misfortune of Brock (Bowers) and Ladd (McConkey), and Marcus Rosemy(-Jacksaint) being in the lineup. But he’s also had the misfortune of them not being in the lineup.”

Bowers and McConkey, when healthy, were two of the most reliable receivers in the country. They combined for 86 receptions, 1,192 yards, and six touchdowns. Add in what Rosemy-Jacksaint put up — 535 yards and four touchdowns — and a lot of production is no longer in the program.

Both players will hear their names called at one point in the 2024 NFL Draft this April.

Moving forward though, Smart wants Beck to build his relations with those who will be on the roster in 2024. Luckily, guys like Rara Thomas and Dominic Lovett are returning too, working in the Georgia offense last season — every receiver will not be a stranger.

While there might be experience with others, learning to trust one another is the key. If Beck knows certain players will do their jobs the right way, success will follow on the field. The time to earn it from one another is in spring practice and through summer.

“You ask any of your quarterbacks, they like wide receivers they trust, they know, they have intuitive ability to think the same way,” Smart said. “There is a lot of change in that room right now. So, showing confidence in himself and showing confidence in those players to do their job and trust them is a big part of it. That trust is not given, it’s earned. They’re earning his trust and it goes both ways.”

Beck will be hoping the trust has been built quite quickly. Georgia is opening the year in Atlanta against Clemson, a game both teams will be desperate to win. The Bulldogs want to restore its place as a national championship while Dabo Swinney needs a victory to kickstart an important season.