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Kirby Smart discusses ‘valuable lessons’ Carson Beck learned on way to becoming Georgia’s starting QB
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Kirby Smart sat down with ESPN’s Rece Davis and Pete Thamel recently to discuss Georgia’s 2023 season.
The Bulldogs are seeking their 3rd straight national championship, which hasn’t been done since Minnesota in the 1930s. And it will be the first season since 2019 where someone other than Stetson Bennett will be the starting quarterback: that job will fall to 4th-year junior Carson Beck.
Could Beck have laid claim to the starter’s role long beforehand, though? Smart more than hinted at the fact that it was possible.
“Carson spoke to the team about missing that opportunity, and how it affected him, and how he didn’t think that he had prepared the right way. He didn’t think that he was prepared,” Smart said. “And it went on to happen that Stetson never looked back, played for two years, but Carson Beck could have been our quarterback the entire time. And he learned from that. He learned valuable lessons from that, so I’m excited to see what he can do.”
Not only will Beck look to prove to the country that his selection as Georgia’s starter was the right call by Smart, but he’ll be out to show his head coach that he’s ready for the spotlight. The Bulldogs open their season against Tennessee-Martin on Sept. 2.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
