Breaking ; Kirby Smart reportedly gives a brutal response About Carson Beck’s Status for College Football Playoff leaving a strong message for fans.

As the No. 2 seed Georgia Bulldogs prepare for the College Football Playoff, they are doing so without starting quarterback Carson Beck. The second-year starter suffered an elbow injury on the last play of the second half in the SEC Championship Game win over Texas on Dec. 7. He had led the Bulldogs to a 10-2 record before that play, passing for 3,485 yards with 28 touchdowns to 12 interceptions. Multiple reports surfaced this week that raised doubts of Beck’s availability for the Sugar Bowl matchup on New Year’s Day, and the potential playoff matchups following that game if the Bulldogs prevail.

According to a report from ESPN, Georgia is preparing for the playoff without Beck, who hasn’t been with the team since the SEC title game. During ESPN’s “College GameDay” on Friday, head coach Kirby Smart broke silence on the matter.

He and his family went down to Jacksonville (Fla.) with, kind of, his team and staff and really people in his family, (who are) trying to pursue the best options to move forward,” he said. “But we’ve talked to him, we’ve communicated with him and we’re hoping for the best.” Redshirt sophomore Gunner Stockton replaced Beck, a senior, against Texas. The former four-star led the Bulldogs to a 3-point comeback win that ended in overtime, 22-19. Stockton completed 12-of-16 passes for 71 yards with an interception.

Beck’s experience will be missed if he ultimately sits out the rest of the postseason. He lead UGA to a 24-3 record over two seasons. Stockton (6-foot-1, 215 pounds) set multiple passing records at Rabun County (Ga.) High School before signing with the Bulldogs in the class of 2022. He was rated as the No. 7 quarterback in his class, per 247Sports. Waiting behind Beck, Stockton has had a handful of appearances over the last two seasons with eight in total. However, UGA possessed at least a 21-point lead in each of those games, excluding the SEC championship. UGA will face the winner of No. 10 Indiana (11-1) at No. 7 Notre Dame (11-1). That game will kickoff on Friday night in South Bend at 8 p.m. ET (ABC).