Georgia (11-2 straight up, 4-9 against the spread) fifth-year junior quarterback Carson Beck had successful surgery Monday on his right throwing elbow to repair his UCL, and he will miss the rest of the College Football Playoff.
According to a press release from the school, Beck had the procedure done in Los Angeles by surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache. He’s expected to make a full recovery and be able to resume throwing at some point in the spring.
If UGA is going to collect its third national championship in the last four seasons, it will have to do so with Gunner Stockton under center. He played the entire second half of the Bulldogs’ 22-19 overtime win over Texas after Beck went down on the final play of the first half in the SEC Championship Game.
Stockton completed 12-of-16 passes for 71 yards with one interception against the Longhorns. He had only eight rushing yards on eight attempts (due to taking a pair of sacks), but the sophomore signal caller does bring an added dimension with his ability to scramble.
UGA head coach Kirby Smart has downplayed Stockton’s athleticism in terms of how the Bulldogs will change their offensive approach in the CFP.
“You know, I think we are who we are in regards to that,” Smart said at a recent presser. “I mean, we’ve played an entire season offensively. You know, Gunner is a good athlete. I think Carson’s a good athlete. So, it’s one of those deals that I don’t know how much it changes things.”
As a freshman in 2023, Stockton played in four games. He completed 12-of-19 passes (63.2%) for 148 yards and two TDs with one interception. Stockton had 63 rushing yards and a 5.7 yards-per-carry average on 11 attempts.
In four games this season, Stockton has connected on 25-of-32 throws (78.1%) for 206 yards. He’ll be making his first career start in the CFP quarterfinals vs. Notre Dame on New Year’s Day at the Sugar Bowl.
In UGA’s first 13 games, Beck completed 290-of-448 throws (64.7%) for 3,485 yards with a 28/12 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
In 2023, Beck connected on 302-of-417 passes (72.4%) for 3,941 yards with a 24/6 TD-INT ratio. He added four rushing TDs as well.
In 39 career games at UGA since 2020, Beck has completed 68.0 percent of his passes for 7,912 yards with a 58/20 TD-INT ratio. He has 243 career rushing yards, five TDs and a 1.9 YPC average.
In his latest for ESPN, Mel Kiper Jr. had Beck ranked as the No. 4 QB prospect for the 2025 NFL Draft. Although he has another year of eligibility remaining, most feel like Beck has probably played his final game for the Bulldogs.
As of Tuesday morning, most books had UGA listed as a 1.5-point favorite with a total of 44. The Fighting Irish were +105 on the money line.
I’ve already made a strong play on UGA at a -125 price on the money line.