Georgia quarterback Carson Beck underwent successful surgery Monday on his right elbow to repair his ulnar collateral ligament (UCL), school officials announced, and he will not be available for the Bulldogs in the College Football Playoff.
Beck is expected to make a full recovery, according to the school’s release, and he will resume throwing in the spring. The surgery was performed by renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles. Beck and his parents had been consulting with different doctors and specialists to determine the best course of treatment after he was injured on the final play of the first half in second-ranked Georgia’s 22-19 overtime win against Texas in the SEC championship game Dec. 7.
Beck has not practiced with the team since that game. ESPN reported last week that Georgia has been preparing to play without Beck in the playoff since resuming practice after the SEC championship game.
Redshirt sophomore Gunner Stockton will take over as Georgia’s starting quarterback. He helped rally the Bulldogs from a 6-3 halftime deficit against the Longhorns and played the entire second half and all but the final play of overtime after Beck was sidelined. Stockton ran the ball to the 4-yard line in overtime and took a vicious hit, sending his helmet flying. He had to leave for a play, and Beck re-entered the game and handed off to Trevor Etienne for the game-winning touchdown.
Stockton finished 12-of-16 for 71 yards, no touchdowns and an interception against Texas. He was sacked twice.
The Sugar Bowl matchup against Notre Dame on Jan. 1 will be Stockton’s first career start. He has appeared in four games this season for the Bulldogs (11-2) after playing in two games the year before as a redshirt freshman.
The 6-1, 215-pound Stockton is more of a running threat than Beck, but Georgia coach Kirby Smart downplayed how that might impact the Bulldogs’ game plan against the Irish.
“You know, I think we are who we are in regards to that,” Smart told reporters. “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.”
Beck was rated as the No. 4 quarterback prospect in the 2025 NFL draft, according to ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. The 22-year-old led the SEC with 28 touchdown passes this season and was third with 3,485 passing yards, but he also threw 12 interceptions in 13 games.
