Georgia football adds transfer quarterback. What it means for 2024 and beyond

Ten days before the Orange Bowl, Georgia football coach Kirby Smart left open the door to adding another scholarship quarterback to the mix this offseason with the Bulldogs sitting with three players at the position.

The Bulldogs landed that player Monday night when UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava committed to the Bulldogs, according to a social media post from NILX Management Group, which represents him.

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound second-team All-Mountain West selection was also the conference’s freshman of the year. He redshirted in 2022 out of Liberty High in Henderson, Nev. after playing at Kaimuki High in Honolulu in his native Hawaii.

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Maiava threw for 3,085 yards with 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions for the Rebels last season while leading the conference in passing efficiency and completing 63.5 percent of his passes. He threw for more than 300 yards twice, including going 27 of 36 for 353 yards against Colorado State.

He replaced injured starter Doug Brumfield and threw for a 48-yard touchdown and ran for a 24-yard score in a 40-37 home win over Vanderbilt on Sept. 16. Maiava rushed for 277 yards and 3 touchdowns this season.

He also was reportedly considering Southern Cal out of the transfer portal.

The impact of adding Jayden Maiava to Georgia football

So what does it mean for 2024 and beyond?

The return of starting quarterback Carson Beck puts Georgia in a great spot after he set a program record for completion percentage and led the Bulldogs to a 13-1 record in 2023.

Gunner Stockton gave coaches something to feel good about heading into the offseason by keeping the offense humming in the second half of a 63-3 beatdown of Florida State in the Orange Bowl after Beck was done for the game with a huge lead.

Brock Vandagriff, the backup quarterback this past season, transferred to Kentucky after the regular season.

Stockton went 6 of 10 for 96 yards and two touchdowns in the Orange Bowl.

“Obviously Gunner hasn’t gotten a lot of experience in terms of in game stuff, but to see him go out there and I mean have almost two full quarters of work, super fun and to see him throw his first touchdown pass,” Beck said. “I just remember what it was like for me when I got my first opportunity to go in the game. I know he probably had a similar feeling today and I know how exciting that is. Just tried to cheer him on.”

The Rabun County product had seen action in three games during the season as the third-stringer in mop-up duty behind Brock Vandagriff. He was 6 of 9 for 52 yards and an interception against UT Martin, Ball State and UAB.

Stockton will have a chance to show his stuff again next at the G-Day spring game where true freshman Ryan Puglisi will also be on display.

What's next at QB after Georgia Bulldog Carson Beck?

Five-star recruit Dylan Raiola was viewed as a future Georgia starting quarterback, but after playing his senior season at Buford High, he flipped to Nebraska where his father was an All-American offensive lineman.

Stockton will enter his third season on the Georgia roster in 2024.

“I think Gunner has done a great job in learning the offense,” offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said two days before the Orange Bowl. “I think that's been his No. 1 development so far. He's gotten more reps this year with the offense, where last year he was on basically the scout team. But now he's getting reps, and I think every rep you get, you see growth. But just being more comfortable in the offense is his biggest growth."

Maiava and Stockton figure to compete for the No. 2 job this season.

Stockton was the higher-ranked recruit coming out of high school.

Stockton was the nation’s No. 7 rated quarterback out of Rabun County High by the 247Sports Composite. Maiava was No. 64, but had offers from Auburn, Louisville and Tennessee.

Stockton showed his ability to make plays with his feet, rushing for 46 yards and 7 carries in the Orange Bowl.

“He's a kid that didn't get a lot of reps during the year in terms of game reps,” Smart said. “Brock got most of those. I told the team at halftime, we're going to go out there and all the starters are going to play. Gunner is going in. Going to let him play. Called the game and let him go execute and play, because he deserves an opportunity to go play. The only way you get better at that position is to go play meaningful minutes and get time, and I thought it was big for him to go in. I thought Mike called a good game for him and he made some really good decisions, and we think he can be a really good player.”

Both Stockton and Maiiava could make their case as a viable starter for 2025, but the Bulldogs could again look to the transfer portal for a high-end established starter from a power conference.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: What Georgia football adding UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava means at QB