Georgia will welcome a new coach to start the 2016 season, but the same old quarterback problems could remain.

Priority No. 1 for new Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart is keeping prized quarterback recruit Jacob Eason from flipping his commitment.

Eason, a five-star recruit and the son of former Notre Dame receiver Tony Eason, had committed to Georgia under coach Mark Richt, but has been having second thoughts since Richt’s dismissal. Eason also is considering Florida.

Keeping Eason will be of utmost importance.

Without him, Georgia likely will have to turn again to incumbent Greyson Lambert. The Virginia graduate transfer started much of this season, but his inability to vertically attack defenses and produce big plays made the Dawgs an easier-to-defend one-trick pony.

Georgia ranked a dismal 103rd nationally in passing offense at 187.1 yards per game.

Lambert completed a respectable 64.4 percent (152 of 236) of his passes for 1,844 yards and 11 touchdowns with just two interceptions, but was never able to stretch opposing defenses.

Lambert completed just two passes of 40-plus yards this season — one more than Ole Miss star receiver Laquon Treadwell.

He still fared much better than his backup Brice Ramsey, who finished with more interceptions (two) than touchdown passes (one) before taking the team’s punting duties in the middle of the season.

Third-string quarterback Faton Bauta, the surprise starter in the 27-3 beatdown against rival Florida, has announced he plans to transfer.

Trying to further assure Eason of his faith in him, Richt opted against signing another quarterback from the 2015 high school class, meaning Georgia has no other scholarship quarterbacks on its roster.

The plan was clearly for Eason to enroll in Athens in January, undergo a crash course on the offense this spring and be ready to assume the controls on or near the start of the season.

But firing Richt changed things, Eason is now debating whether to stick with Georgia or cast his lot with Florida.

Eason has had a lengthy relationship with Gators offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier and is sure to be attracted by the pass-happy offense preferred in Gainesville by coach Jim McElwain. The fact that the door to immediate playing time is there because of the suspension of Gators quarterback Will Grier until October only further worries the Bulldogs faithful.

Should Eason choose Florida, Smart would have few options at this late date. He could very well scour the junior college ranks for a diamond-in-the-rough that had somehow been overlooked by other major programs, but finding a graduate transfer who could arrive in Athens already seasoned and ready to play immediately might be his best bet.

There were a number of such players available last year with the likes of former Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson and Eastern Washington’s Vernon Adams, Jr.

But no quick-fix is guaranteed.

Golson began the season as Florida State’s starter, but was benched in favor of Sean Maguire. Adams was hurt and played in just nine games, but passed for 2,446 yards and 25 touchdowns to lead the Ducks back into national prominence following a slow 3-3 start.

Yet, there’s also the chance that none of these options might be available to Smart, meaning that he will have to think long and hard about who he hires to become his offensive coordinator.

The new OC might be stuck with Lambert again, meaning they’ll have to be creative in using him in a way that best fits his skills and maximizes his chances of being successful.

A healthy Nick Chubb will certainly help, but the Dawgs have to be more efficient in the passing game to beat good teams.

Having the extra practices to prepare for the upcoming TaxSlayer Bowl game against Penn State will help Lambert, but Smart won’t be there and the system he eventually runs could be different in its emphasis and verbiage.

Smart spoke often at this week’s introductory press conference in Athens about the need for a balanced offense.

Getting somebody capable under center would be a good start.