Georgia Bulldogs offensive coordinator Mike Bobo told reporters at fall camp in Athens that Carson Beck was the one who set the standard for the Bulldogs’ impressive array of backup quarterbacks. Bobo said Beck told redshirt sophomore Gunner Stockton, true freshman Ryan Puglisi and former five-star redshirt freshman Jaden Rashada, “You have to approach this camp like you’re getting ready for the first game against Clemson. I didn’t do that growing up. I didn’t take advantage of every opportunity to be the starter.”

If Beck, a favorite for the Heisman Trophy and in his second year as Georgia’s starter, is for some reason unable to face the Tigers in the Aflac Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Aug. 31, reports out of Athens indicate Stockton, not Rashada, would get the nod.

Rashada was one of the most hyped quarterback prospects in the country and is now embroiled in a legal battle with Florida head coach Billy Napier over a $13+ million NIL deal that fell through and ultimately sent Rashada to Arizona State for one season. Georgia signed him out of the transfer portal even though teams like UCLA could have given him a starting spot, but now it’s likely he’ll be not just Beck’s backup, but the third in his redshirt freshman season.

Due to Rashada’s unique situation and the possibility of losing his starting spot in Tempe to Michigan State transfer Sam Leavitt, he fled in the spring transfer window, meaning he had less time with Bobo’s playbook in his hands.

“We would have loved to have Jaden before the spring,” Bobo told Marc Weiszer of the Athens Banner-Herald last week. “It didn’t work out that way. He was able to come here in early May and start learning the playbook. He’s just learning it.”

That’s not exactly a glowing endorsement from the playmaker, and given the familiarity Bobo and Kirby Smart have with Stockton, his job as QB2 is unquestionable. Stockton completed six of 10 passes for 96 yards and two touchdowns in his only collegiate appearance at the Orange Bowl last season. He has continued to impress in camp.

Last weekend’s practice reports show that Stockton made some appearances with the first team on offense and continues to work on solidifying his spot as a backup quarterback.

It takes a lot of patience to become the starting quarterback for Kirby Smart. This offseason, former five-star Brock Vandagriff’s patience finally ran out when he transferred to Kentucky to be the starter. If Stockton can keep his QB2 all year, he could finally be called upon as a redshirt junior next year to lead the most dominant football program of the decade, not Rashadas.