Georgia coach Kirby Smart said Monday that Carson Beck and his family “are still going through those deliberations” about the next steps for the injured quarterback.
Smart previously said Beck was with family in Jacksonville, Florida, while the Bulldogs were practicing ahead of the College Football Playoff.
With Beck likely out for the New Year’s Day Sugar Bowl, Georgia is expected to turn to redshirt sophomore Gunner Stockton. The Bulldogs did so in the SEC Championship game after Beck went down at the end of the first half, with Stockton completing 12 of his 16 pass attempts for 71 yards and an interception.
Stockton has taken reps with the first-team offense in recent weeks, and Smart said he is encouraged by what Stockton has shown.
“He’s been a great competitor. He’s had some really great practices,” Smart said Friday on “College GameDay.”
Beck has started all 13 of Georgia’s games this season, throwing for 28 touchdowns, 3,485 yards and 12 interceptions. In his time as Georgia’s starter, Beck is 24-3.
Stockton will make his first career start against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who advanced in the College Football Playoff on Friday with a 27-17 win over Indiana. It will be a strong first test for Stockton, as Notre Dame fields one of the best defenses in the country. The Irish were third in Football Bowl Subdivision this season in scoring defense (13.8 points per game), fourth in passing yards allowed per game (162.3) and eighth in total yards allowed per game (295.3).
Stockton is a more mobile quarterback than Beck, but Smart pumped the brakes on whether the offense will look any different.
“I think we are who we are,” Smart said. “We’ve played an entire season offensively. Gunner is a good athlete. I think Carson is a good athlete. It’s one of those deals of, I don’t know how much that changes things.”
Smart has experience with a quarterback making his debut against Notre Dame, as then-freshman Jake Fromm did in 2017. The Bulldogs came away with a 20-19 win that day. Fromm went on to lead Georgia to an SEC title and an appearance in the national championship game.
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