As the season draws near, the cries for Jacob Eason to become Georgia’s starting quarterback sooner rather than later grow louder. The most-anticipated quarterback prospect since Matthew Stafford, Eason sure looks the part, but starting as a true freshman in the SEC is a daunting task.

Even some of the program’s greatest quarterbacks struggled in their first year. Aaron Murray and David Greene, leaders in most statistical categories in school history, redshirted in their first season at Georgia.

The transition of a quarterback straight from high school to college football, especially in the SEC, is one of the toughest in sports. It’s what makes that redshirt season so important and allows a player’s mind to catch up to the hastened speed of the game.

Eason won’t have that luxury.

There were others who played for the Bulldogs as a true freshman, too. Some played more than others, but let’s take a look at how four top Georgia quarterbacks fared just out of high school.

Buck Belue (1978)

True freshman stats: 14-28 (50.0), 228 yards, 1 TD, 3 INTs

Details: Buck Belue’s memorable career began on a similar note. Although he had played sparingly at times during his freshman season, he was finally given his chance to shine late in the second quarter against Georgia Tech in 1978.

Quarterback Buck Belue. Credit: University of Georgia Athletics

Credit: University of Georgia Athletics

With Georgia trailing its hated rival 20-0 in the second quarter, Belue came off the bench to play the rest of the game. The true freshman helped the Bulldogs battle back and eventually take a 21-20 lead in the fourth quarter. That lead quickly vanished, however, as Tech took the ensuing kickoff back for a touchdown, and the two-point conversion gave them a 28-21 lead.

Then, with 5:52 left on the clock, Belue began his first of many great moments for the Bulldogs. Starting at the 16-yard line, Belue led Georgia on an 84-yard drive that culminated in a 42-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Arnold on a fourth-down rollout pass. The Bulldogs converted the two-point conversion, cementing an incredible 29-28 victory.

It was the biggest comeback in school history at that point, orchestrated, in part, by a true freshman quarterback.

Eric Zeier (1991)

Stats: 159-286 (55.6), 1,984 yards, 7 TDs, 4 INTs

Details: Possibly the quarterback whose situation was most similar to Eason’s is Eric Zeier. A highly-touted prospect, Zeier enrolled early to compete for playing time against Greg Talley, a veteran who was intelligent and had paid his dues. Sound familiar?

Zeier was listed as the second-string quarterback after spring drills but split time with Talley for the early half of the season. After coming off the bench for the first four games, Zeier’s turning point came against No. 6-ranked Clemson.

With the score tied at 3, Zeier took the field late in the first quarter and led the Bulldogs to an improbable 27-12 upset victory. The true freshman was brilliant in the win, throwing for 249 yards and 2 touchdowns.

The following week, Zeier started for Georgia and never came off the bench again that season, setting several freshman passing records along the way. He was named the SEC Freshman of the Year and began a record-setting career for the Bulldogs.

Quincy Carter (1998)

Stats: 176-290 (.607), 2,484 yards, 9 TDs, 12 INTs

Details: Named the starter for the season opener as a true freshman, Quincy Carter’s career at Georgia began like no other quarterback’s since Johnny Rauch in 1945.

Carter completed 12 of his 16 pass attempts for 235 yards and 3 touchdowns in the opener against Kent State, a 56-3 victory. In his first major test against No. 6-ranked LSU, Carter was magnificent. He completed 27 of 34 passes for 318 yards and 2 touchdowns, leading Georgia to a 28-27 victory in Death Valley and earning SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors.

His freshman season wasn’t perfect, however. Following the thrilling victory at LSU, No. 7-ranked Georgia returned home to face an undefeated Tennessee team, ranked fifth at the time. In front of a sellout crowd, Carter and his team failed to muster any sort of offense, falling 22-3.

Despite losses to Tennessee, Florida and Georgia Tech, Carter’s freshman season was among the best in school history. He broke many of Zeier’s freshman school records and was named the SEC Freshman of the Year.

It is worth noting, that Carter did not make the transition to college straight from high school. He was drafted to play baseball, and spent two seasons in the minors before attending Georgia.

Matthew Stafford (2006)

Stats: 135-256 (52.7), 1,749 yards, 7 TDs, 13 INTs

Details: The final entry on our list is the one most refer to when discussing Eason. Stafford arrived as one of the most celebrated recruits in school history. Hesitant to start a true freshman right away, Mark Richt let Stafford come off the bench early in the season.

Late in the season opener against Western Kentucky, Stafford entered to complete 3 of his 5 passes for 40 yards and a touchdown. Starter Joe Tereshinski III was injured in Week 3 against South Carolina, giving Stafford his first college start the next week against UAB.

In his first start, Stafford completed 10 of 17 passes for 107 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions, but he did run for a score as the Bulldogs cruised to a 34-0 victory.

In the first seven games, Stafford completed 47 of 93 passes for two touchdowns (one rushing) and four interceptions. After the seventh game, Richt named him the starter. As the team’s starter, Stafford averaged 195 yards passing with 1.3 touchdowns and 1.5 interceptions per contest.

Of course, everyone knows the rest of the story. How Stafford, an experienced sophomore, helped lead Georgia to a No. 2 ranking at the end of the 2007 season and was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft.

*All stats provided by University of Georgia and sports-reference.com

William McFadden covers the University of Georgia for Saturday Down South. For news on everything happening between the hedges, follow him on Twitter @willmcfadden.