Kirby Smart provided some updates on the quarterback battle between Gunner Stockton and Ryan Puglisi. The quarterback battle is Georgia‘s most important position battle this spring, so Smart highlighted that on his opening practice conference.
“As far as quarterback, it’s just like every other position,” said Smart. “Every day, you’re fighting and trying to complete with the other guy. You think it’s coach speak, but it’s really not, in the spring, there is no depth chart. There’s just reps. And in the spring, we’re giving reps out. We’re getting four reps with four groups at some positions. And we want to see all those guys compete and get better.”
Stockton started for Georgia in the Sugar Bowl and entered the SEC championship game after Carson Beck suffered a torn UCL. He played admirably, even with sacks creating fumbles to lead Notre Dame to their Sugar Bowl win over Georgia.
“He’s a tremendous leader…he’s a tough kid that loves football, that loves his teammates,” Smart said about Stockton. “You’re not gonna get a lot of rah-rah out of Gunner. He doesn’t feel like that’s his role. He earns people’s respect by how he works and how he carries himself. He has a lot of confidence in his ability, and he has a lot of knowledge in his system. I think that resonates with the other players. They rally around Gunner and have a lot of respect for him.”
Ryan Puglisi is a four-star prospect that stands at 6-foot-3 and weighs 210 pounds. Puglisi has immense arm talent, so the sophomore from Massachusetts has a fighting chance to become the starter. However, he missed most of last spring with an injury, so he has a serious disadvantage in terms of experience.
Freshman quarterbacks Ryan Montgomery and Hezekiah Millender are also in the quarterback room. Montgomery is currently rehabbing from an ACL tear and is out for the spring. Regardless of who starts, Georgia will be transitioning to a new quarterback due to because former starter Carson Beck transferred to Miami.
This article originally appeared on UGA Wire: Kirby Smart evaluates Georgia football’s QB competition
