Why Carson Beck Breaks a Trend for Georgia's Offense in 2023

Georgia will be dealing with an offensive coordinator change heading into 2023. But that might not be an issue for Carson Beck.

Christian Kirby II | Jun 13, 2023

With less than 100 days until Georgia football kicks off between the hedges, many have come to the conclusion that veteran Carson Beck will be the Bulldogs' starting quarterback come the fall.

But while Beck has yet to officially be named the starter (and likely won't be for a while), there is one guarantee for the Bulldogs heading into the 2023 season. Which is that the offense will be under a different regime with offensive coordinator Mike Bobo.

Bobo, a former quarterback, and offensive coordinator for the Bulldogs under Mark Richt shares a long history with Kirby Smart as the two were teammates at Georgia during the late 1990s and have coached against each other numerous times during their respective careers. He was promoted to be Georgia's next offensive coordinator following the departure of Todd Monken during the offseason.

Monken was announced as the Baltimore Ravens' next offensive coordinator following the 2022 season. — Monken was announced as the Baltimore Ravens' next offensive coordinator following the 2022 season

But while Smart may share history with his new offensive coordinator, history also states that offensive coordinators under Smart have somewhat struggled in their first year with the team, particularly when it comes to quarterback play.

Jim Chaney (2016)

There were certainly growing pains for the Bulldogs during the 2016 season (as to be expected). On top of it being both Smart and Cheney's first year at their respective positions for the Dawgs, true freshman Jacob Eason also held the reigns for the Bulldogs' offense for the majority of the season. Eason would finish his freshman campaign with 2,340 yards, 16 touchdowns, and eight interceptions.

James Coley (2019)

In his first official season as Georgia’s offensive coordinator, quarterback play from Jake Fromm noticeably decreased. Fromm completed nearly an average of 65% of his passes during his freshman and sophomore seasons. However, in 2019 (Coley's first season), he completed barely over 60%. Coley would be fired at the end of the 2019 season.

Todd Monken (2020)

Even Kirby Smart's most productive coordinator to date did not go without struggles in his first season with the team. Although extenuating circumstances from the COVID-19 pandemic caused many challenges, the Bulldogs' offense was wildly inconsistent during the 2020 season. Quarterback Stetson Bennett threw for just over 55% of his passes prior to being benched in favor of JT Daniels. Bennett's completion percentage would increase to almost 65% in 2021.

Why Carson Beck is the Outlier

Apart from having more experience and age than any of the formerly listed quarterbacks, Carson Beck will also have the advantage of playing in a system that is expected to be fairly similar to that of Todd Monken. Beck will also be throwing to what is anticipated to be the most talented wide receiver room of the Kirby Smart era.

Carson Beck during Georgia’s annual G-Day scrimmage on Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga. (Tony Walsh/UGAAA)

Another aspect that plays into Beck's favor is the team's schedule. The Bulldogs open the 2023 season with four straight home games where their only power-5 opponent will be South Carolina. Georgia will also only play four true road games this season, after their road game with Oklahoma was canceled by the SEC.

Learning a "new" offensive scheme almost always causes some trouble for quarterbacks, and Carson Beck will almost certainly make mistakes this season. However, Beck's veteran experience and familiarity with Mike Bobo, combined with Georgia's highly talented offensive unit and relatively easy schedule should not cause any dip in production for Georgia's offense in 2023.

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Published Jun 13, 2023

CHRISTIAN KIRBY II