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Georgia’s Kirby Smart open to all types of quarterbacks

Jacob Eason, who enrolled at Georgia last week after participating in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, is continuing a lengthy Bulldogs run of pro-style quarterbacks.
Jacob Eason, who enrolled at Georgia last week after participating in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, is continuing a lengthy Bulldogs run of pro-style quarterbacks. Jacob Eason, who enrolled at Georgia last week after participating in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, is continuing a lengthy Bulldogs run of pro-style quarterbacks.

By David Paschall 3 min read

New Georgia football coach Kirby Smart is putting his own stamp on the Bulldogs, which includes keeping an open mind on the quarterback position.

The Bulldogs ran a pro-style offense in Mark Richt’s 15 years, with David Greene, Matthew Stafford and Aaron Murray combining to start 11 of those seasons before each was drafted into the NFL. Smart has arrived from Alabama, which employs a pro-style attack as well, but past results will not always guarantee future plans.

After all, Smart is fresh off scheming to defend Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson, a Heisman Trophy finalist who lives within an hour of Georgia’s campus.

“If your best way to run the ball is with your quarterback, then you have to use that,” Smart said last week in a news conference. “If your best way to run the ball is to hand it to Derrick Henry or hand it to Nick Chubb, then you do that. You do whatever you have to do to win the game.

“If that becomes a dual-threat quarterback, then we cross that bridge when we come to it. I do think that creates challenges for the defense. If you find the right guy, and there have been a lot of good ones to come out of this state, then you use that.”