As if there was any doubt, Kirby Smart just confirmed that JT Daniels will be Georgia’s starting quarterback next season.

In what has to be a nice change of pace for the Bulldogs, there isn’t an open competition for the starting quarterback role this offseason in Athens. That’s not to say Georgia is lacking for options behind Daniels, either.

During a recent appearance on Atlanta-based 680 The Fan radio show Chuck and Chernoff, the Georgia coach was asked if there was an open competition for the starting quarterback role in Athens this spring.

“It’s JT’s job,” Smart said on the show. “He’s played the position, he’s really on top of it, he’s doing a good job in our offense but it’s not to say that we’re not giving the other guys a look.

“I mean Stetson Bennett is a good football player and we think he’s very athletic, he creates a different dynamic. Carson Beck is a guy we’ve always thought a lot of. He is a really good passer and he didn’t get the benefit of a spring practice. He didn’t get the benefit of doing anything in college football that now, he’s getting a ton of reps, and I think that’s big. And then (freshman) Brock (Vandagriff) is here with us and he’s very athletic and he’s done some good things.

“So every guy is going to have an opportunity to play across our roster, but JT has proven himself and we hope he continues to do so and he brings about the kind of best assets we have in our offense — which are some of the wideouts, some of the skill position guys, we’ve got to be able to use his strengths to get them the ball.”

Smart was then asked about how big of a jump Georgia’s offense could take this season with an experienced Daniels returning and the team working under offensive coordinator Todd Monken for the second season — and the first with a spring practice.

While those areas suggest improvement is coming, the Georgia coach noted the success of the offense will be dictated by the growth of the players around the quarterback in Athens.

“I think the biggest thing is just growth and, you know, the expectation for me is always getting the most out of the players,” Smart added. “I think the expectation for everybody else is different, and they try to put a tangible number on that and say what that is, but for me, it’s really simple. I want to get the most out of what we have.

“We have to exhaust all our abilities, and I think a lot of the focus has been put on the skilled players and a lot of times you can’t do things if you don’t have the right guys in the right positions across the front, across the offensive line and defensively. And so, we got to do a lot of things around some of our skill players to be able to accentuate their positives.”