Kirby Smart admits Georgia doesn’t have as much depth surrounding Carson Beck as past years

Georgia has perhaps the best quarterback in the nation in Carson Beck. However, the prestigious program lacks the supporting cast it’s had in the past. On Tuesday, UGA head coach Kirby Smart was candid about the Bulldogs’ depth.

“The [starters] can go out there and execute, get calls, line up — I mean, they might not do it just right, but there’s not a lot of errors,” Smart said. “There’s a good nucleus of 11 guys, who’ve played a lot of football when you count Arian [Smith], Daylen [Everette], Oscar [Delp], Dom [Lovett] and those guys.

“But, there’s not the depth around Carson at the skill positions that there’s been in the past, and it puts more pressure on him to probably feel like he’s got to be perfect. To feel like he’s got to make the right decision.”

Beck will have no choice but to learn to trust his inexperienced teammates. Georgia lost numerous standout offensive players in the 2024 NFL Draft, including tight end Brock Bowers, offensive tackle Amarius Mims, wide receiver Ladd McConkey and center Sedrick Van Pran-Granger.

Not to mention, Georgia lost 25 players to the NCAA Transfer Portal during the offseason while only adding nine. Nonetheless, Georgia’s offense isn’t entirely green. Along with the veterans Smart mentioned, Georgia will return 76% of its offensive production from last season, per ESPN.

Moreover, Georgia add several key pieces via the portal, highlighted by former Florida running back Trevor Etienne. Beck is talented enough to deal with early obstacles. In his first season as Georgia’s starter last year, Beck tallied 3,941 passing yards and 24 touchdowns while only throwing six interceptions.

His 3,941 passing yards were the third-most in the country and led the SEC. Moreover, Beck completed an extremely efficient 72.4% of his pass attempts, ranking No. 4 in the nation. Smart is confident Carson Beck can overcome the team’s lack of experience.

“We count on our quarterback to put us in the right play or make the right decision on so many plays, and Carson does a great job of that,” Smart said. “He’s had a very detailed, attentive camp. Assertive is not something that he is.

“He’s just not naturally going to go out there and just be assertive vocally. He’s assertive in his checks. He’s assertive in his decision making. That’s certainly much more important than just what he says to the group.”