Kirby Smart on what will or will not affect the QB race

HOOVER, Ala. – If Georgia doesn’t have Nick Chubb or Sony Michel for the opener against North Carolina, could that sway any decision Kirby Smart has to make regarding who the starting quarterback may be?

His answer may surprise you.

“I think that’s going to play a small part. At the end of the day, we’ll play the guy who gives us the best chance to win,” Smart said Tuesday at SEC Media Days. “Well, you say if we don’t have either back … I certainly hope that’s not the case … does it become a situation where you’ve got to throw the ball better? But we’ve got to look at the long term, not just the first game. There’s more to the season than just the first game. We’re not putting all our eggs in the first-game basket.”

In other words, injuries to Nick Chubb and Sony Michel won’t affect the decision-making process when it comes to Greyson Lambert, Brice Ramsey and Jacob Eason winning the starting job.

“We’ve just got to figure out who’s going to be our best leader, who’s going to give us the best opportunity to win,” Smart said. “I DON’T think that’s dictated who the back is or if a back is healthy, or two backs are healthy.”

Smart also pointed out that the "best player" is not always the "player who gives us the best chance to win."

Center Brandon Kublanow wasn’t providing any clues, especially as it pertains to Eason, the choice of most Bulldog fans to get the call.

“Jacob has done a great job,” Kublanow said. “He’s come in and worked hard – obviously he’s under a lot of scrutiny [as a freshman] – but we feel like all three guys have done an amazing job and we’ll see how [the quarterback competition] goes during fall camp.”

Smart indicated each quarterback will continue to receive equal reps until a decision is made.

“We are devoted to practicing the right way and getting each guy good reps. We went back and looked before I came in the spring. We ended up 30 percent, 29 percent, 29 percent of the reps taken. That's right at 90 percent of those three guys, and they were pretty balanced in the reps they took,” Smart said. “I think that's important. When you start cutting down those reps, you cut down their ability to get better.”