ATHENS, Ga. -- When Brice Ramsey elected to stay at Georgia for his final season instead of transferring the question immediately became whether or not Jake Fromm would red shirt.

Fans asked about it. Reporters pondered it. But Kirby Smart isn’t ready to even entertain the thought.

“We have to develop Jake Fromm as fast as possible. As of today, he’s one play away from playing,” Smart said. “We don’t think like that. We don’t think like, ‘Oh we’re going to redshirt this guy.’ I don’t think that’s the way to really look at it. I think it’s more of can Jake continue to grow at the rate he’s going, can he make decisions and throws we want him to make? Can he run the offense, execute the offense and lead the offense in the right way?”

Jacob Eason is the Bulldogs’ starter. Smart made that clear at SEC Media Days. Just last week, however, Smart told reporters that Fromm, entering preseason camp of his freshman year, is ahead of where Eason was at the same stage.

Now one would presume that Fromm and Ramsey are battling for the backup job, but, once again, Smart doesn’t quite see it that way.

“If he continues to do those things he’s competing for everything,” Smart said of Fromm, not just for who’s the backup, who’s third, are we redshirting him – we don’t really get into that analysis. We look at it as what’s the best chance to have him ready to play by the first game.”

Georgia’s offensive coordinator and quarterback’s coach Jim Chaney isn’t ready to talk about a red shirt year, either.

With Ramsey coming back Chaney’s certainly happy to have an extra guy in his room and arm on the practice field, especially when you consider the fact that the Camden County High School product was in a competition for the starting job last preseason.

But when it comes to him being thrust into the role of backup, that’s not automatic. He’s looking for competition.

“Jake Fromm is a competitive kid as you all well know,” Chaney said. “We’ve all watched him compete, he goes out there and competes every day. Throughout, with all the competition we have, we’re all going to get better, including me. That’s a good thing about that room. I like it. It’s competitive.”

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