Kirby Smart, Todd Monken update development of Georgia quarterbacks behind Stetson Bennett
Quarterbacks are always a hot topic of discussion when it comes to Georgia Football, and that’s certainly the case after the Bulldogs’ first scrimmage of the fall. Only this time, it’s not really a controversy that’s being stirred up. Kirby Smart put any idea of that to bed countless times this offseason when he’s come to the support of Stetson Bennett. And it’s not really even a battle behind Bennett that people are concerned about either. This time, it’s a check up of sorts with folks wanting to know how everybody is coming along in their respective developments.
“I would reserve judgement until I really get to watch the tape. I thought statistically, Stetson (Bennett) had a really good day. You don’t know everything when you’re standing behind them, you don’t get to judge what was going on,” Smart said on Saturday when asked how the quarterbacks performed in the scrimmage. “Watching them, I thought the offensive line did a pretty good job in the pocket. We didn’t get a lot of pressure defensively, which allowed the quarterbacks to have a pretty good day.”
“I’m very pleased with where the quarterbacks are, in terms of Brock (Vandagriff), Carson (Beck) and even Gunner (Stockton),” he continued. “I thought Gunner made some really good plays today. You don’t get to see as much of Gunner, because we do fours in our practice, he gets reps, which is good, but he gets primary reps in the scrimmage, when he gets to go out there with the threes and things. And I thought he did a good job. I have a lot of confidence in all of our quarterbacks. Coach Monken does a great job with those guys. They understand what they need to do and how to get the ball to their weapons.”
The nugget that Smart provided on Gunner Stockton felt rare. Almost any time he mentions the quarterbacks, Stockton is an after thought. After all, he is the last of four scholarship quarterbacks on the depth chart. But still, it’s important that the freshman can come along and develop. He was a top-10 quarterback in the country according to the On3 Consensus and a prolific player in high school, throwing for 4,134 yards and 55 touchdowns with only one interception during his senior season while also adding 956 yards and 15 scores on the ground. In total, he amassed 13,652 passing yards, 177 passing touchdowns, 4,372 rushing yards and 77 rushing touchdowns in his four-year career, holding state records for career passing touchdowns, passing yards and rushing touchdowns. He was named Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year for his efforts in 2021.
And the same goes for Carson Beck and Brock Vandagriff when it comes to development behind Bennett. Both were talented high school quarterbacks that came to college with tons of promise. And if we know one thing about Georgia quarterbacks, it’s not always the one who starts the season that ends up finishing it.
“They are tremendous players,” Georgia offensive coordinator Todd Monken added about Vandagriff and Stockton earlier this week. “Brock (Vandagriff) obviously has been here longer, but his playmaking ability is tremendous. He has a chance, just like Gunner (Stockton) does, to be a tremendous player. I really do [think that].”
“They’re different in the way they go about it, as well as their personalities, which is normal. You’re never going to have the same player. You can have three kids, and they have different personalities, all of them. You love them all. This one is a little more quiet, and this one is a little more outgoing, but both of them are going to be tremendous players,” he continued. “It stinks because I think we have a really good quarterback room. People look at it and think they aren’t a good quarterback room because of Stetson Bennett. But no, Stetson Bennett is a really good player. Those guys are really good players, and I think they will continue to get better. We ask a lot out of them. We do a lot of quarterback controls, so there is a lot that we ask them to do. It makes it hard on them.”
