Tommy Boy and Marquette University. Ellis Boyd ‘Red’ and Shawshank State Prison. Will Hunting and South Boston. Stetson Bennett and the Georgia quarterback room. 

There comes a time when certain mainstays, real and fictional, must leave their respective institutions and venture out of their comfort zones into the real world. Nothing lasts forever, even when you’ve got a great thing going. 

Bennett and the Bulldogs definitely had a great thing going. The former JUCO transfer posted more than 4,000 passing yards and 27 touchdowns in his final college season while helping Georgia cash a bunch of college football betting tickets with a second straight CFP title.

It’s been a wild ride for Bennett, and he took it all the way to the top. Now the 25-year-old has no more business in Athens. His time has come and we’ll see if he emerges as a legit pro quarterback in the coming years. 

Now it’s time to send the elevator back down and let the next kid have his shot at the helm of a budding college football dynasty. 

It’s hard to name a more desirable position in all of college sports for 2023, based on the latest college football futures odds. Georgia has a No. 1-ranked defense, the best tight end in the nation and tons of skill players coming back. The job comes with huge expectations, and whomever emerges as the Bulldogs’ starting quarterback will have to win it fair and square. 

Georgia has options entering the long offseason, and evaluation is an ongoing process as a group of Bulldogs quarterbacks looks to win the job and pick up where Bennett left off. 

Bookies.com college football expert Dan Kilbridge breaks down the odds on who will be Georgia's QB1 in 2023.

Odds above are projected and not currently available at legal sportsbooks or betting apps. This page will be updated should odds become available.

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Georgia's Next Starting QB: A Three-Dog Race

Looking at the presumed 2023 Georgia roster, three names stand out as the likely next in line - Redshirt Junior Carson Beck, redshirt sophomore Brock Vandagriff and redshirt freshman Gunner Stockton. Let's take a deep dive into the competition.

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Carson Beck (RS-Junior) 

Beck is our favorite to win the job for a number of reasons, most notably that it seems to have been the plan all along. A four-star recruit in the class of 2020, Beck checks all the boxes as a 6-foot-4, 215-pound pro-style quarterback. 

He’s presumably earned coach Kirby Smart’s trust after serving as Bennett’s backup the past two seasons. Beck saw limited action in garbage time during three games as a freshman in 2021, but he got more work last season and looked more than capable. The most extensive look came in the second half of a blowout against Vanderbilt, in which he completed 8 of 11 attempts for 98 yards and two touchdowns. 

Beck played in six games and totaled 310 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions – he also took snaps in the National Championship and completed 2 of 3 attempts for 31 yards against the Horned Frogs in what felt like a passing of the torch. 

Assuming he stays healthy, Beck is the clear early front-runner. But there’s plenty of talent behind him. 

Brock Vandagriff (Sophomore)

Vandagriff was one of the most highly-sought players in the country in 2021 and played high school ball at Prince Avenue Christian, roughly 15 miles down the road from Georgia’s campus in Athens. He ultimately chose Georgia over additional offers from the likes of Oklahoma, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Michigan, LSU and Tennessee. 

The 6-foot-3 signal-caller has wheels and was ranked the No. 2 dual-threat quarterback in the nation out of high school. He only attempted two passes last season, but he’s the type of player who could make a huge offseason leap and seriously push for a starting job. 

Gunner Stockton (Freshman)  

Vandagriff will also be competing with freshman Gunner Stockton, a four-star prospect ranked the No. 7 QB in the country in 2022. He’s a Georgia native as well and has enough size at 6-foot-1, 210 pounds. 

While Beck has the experience edge, Vandagriff and Stockton are legit running threats. Bennett’s evolution there was incredibly valuable down the stretch, with the senior rushing for 205 yards and 10 additional scores in 2022. 

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Internal Competition For Georgia's Next QB

One thing to note is that Smart didn’t take a quarterback in the 2023 recruiting class. It’s the first time he’s done that at Georgia and suggests he sees plenty to like in the current room. There’s always a small chance they could add someone via the transfer portal, but as of now this looks like a three-man race. 

There’s also plenty of time to figure it out. The Sep. 2 home opener is eight months away and the lack of a marquee nonconference game means Smart could evaluate all three in game situations if he chooses. The Bulldogs open with home games against UT Martin and Ball State and we could see the underclassmen in action if Beck is unable to win the job outright in fall camp. 

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We already know Georgia is the odds-on favorite to win it all, with +260 odds to pull off the three-peat on early futures boards. There's even an outside shot that Georgia sports betting will be legal and live by the time the Bulldogs kick off again in September. 

Expectations will fall heavily on Bennett’s successor regardless. Odds are they’ll have to win a heated competition in order to fill his shoes, as the Bulldogs hope one of the three can lead them back to the top of the mountain. 

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