One lasting impression from G-Day was the lack of quarterback depth. Jacob Eason and Jake Fromm played from start to finish with a few series handled by walk-on Sam Vaughn. The position was so thin that Brice Ramsey helped out in spring practice drills even after announcing his intention to transfer for his final year.

Kirby Smart disclosed earlier this week that Ramsey’s transfer destination might just be Georgia – especially if Smart has anything to say about it. “We want him there,” Smart said. “We’ve been actively recruiting Brice.” Ramsey saw more action as a punter than as a quarterback over the past couple of seasons, but Georgia’s rosters at both quarterback and punter mean that Ramsey would return to the program as a quarterback.

The quarterback depth situation is about much more than next-man-up during a game. It’s about preparing the team during the offseason and during the 20 hours of work each week during the season. Over the next six months, Georgia’s receivers are going to take hundreds of reps with quarterbacks in drills and practices. It’s not so much about resting Fromm and Eason as it is making sure there are enough arms to keep workouts moving at the most efficient rate. Smart touched on this need when he explained Ramsey’s role during spring practice.

“We’re talking from a standpoint of can we get enough balls being thrown?” Smart said. “(Ramsey is) going to do that. Those three guys (Eason, Fromm and Vaughn), they’re going to get a lot of work. Most of the time, you’d like to have five quarterbacks but three of them getting the reps. What are the other two doing? Most of the time they’re helping facilitate a drill. Well, Brice is going to do that to stay in shape, to keep himself in shape, and also continue looking at other places.”

Ramsey would help the team in that regard even if he never saw the field during a game. Along with incoming freshman walk-on Stetson Bennett IV, Ramsey would give Smart his five quarterbacks. But it seems unlikely that Ramsey would return only to be a human Jugs machine if he has the opportunity to play at another school. If he returns, you’d expect him to work for a place on the quarterback depth chart. “He’s a guy who could come in and compete, first, second or third, and he’s very experienced,” Smart explained.

Ramsey’s potential return also raises an idea that seemed unthinkable a few months ago: redshirting Jake Fromm. Though Fromm seemed more than capable during spring, it’s still very much Eason’s starting job. Thanks to Eason’s durability, Greyson Lambert attempted a single pass in 2016 (in mop-up duty against UL-L) once Eason claimed the starting job for good after the Nicholls game. You’d hate to waste a year of a promising quarterback’s eligibility if that same situation played out in 2017 and Eason (knock wood) remained healthy throughout the season.

If Fromm is open to redshirting, it would allow an additional year of separation between he and Eason. Ramsey can more than handle the role in typical backup situations, and you wouldn’t have to burn a year of Fromm’s eligibility in the 4th quarter of the Samford game or if Eason had to miss a play after losing his helmet. Fromm would always be available if the situation called for it.

There’s also a recruiting implication. Georgia has missed on a few top 2018 quarterback prospects, and an additional year of Fromm would ease some pressure to sign a top-rated QB this year (though it won’t stop Smart from trying.) You’re still going to need depth and will have to replace Ramsey in 2018, but you might cast a wider net if Fromm would be with the program for a year beyond initial expectations.

There are a lot of unknowns involved in redshirting Fromm – least of all his openness to the idea – and he’d have to stay 4 or 5 years for the redshirt decision to make sense. We’ve seen a quarterback redshirt pay off handsomely with Greene and Murray, but every situation is unique.

Ramsey is still exploring his options in the meantime, but Smart expects resolution within a couple of weeks.