Odds QB Greyson Lambert Starts Week 1 for Georgia

The crowded Georgia quarterback battle just got tougher.

No winner was declared among sophomore Brice Ramsey, junior Faton Bauta and redshirt freshman Jacob Park following spring practice, and now the trio has added a fourth.

Former Virginia starter, Jesup, Georgia, native and two-year graduate transfer Greyson Lambert announced on Twitter on Wednesday that he will transfer to Georgia for his final two years of eligibility.

New offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer commented on the quarterback situation on Wednesday, according to Marc Weiszer of the Athens Banner-Herald.

"We expect that somebody will come out of this deal as a winner," he said. "We’re going to do whatever we think gives us the best chance to win, but I think coach (Mark) Richt and I both believe that having one guy gives you the best chance to do that. Now we’ve just got to make sure we find the right guy."

What are the odds Lambert starts the season opener for Georgia?

Let's install him at 8-1, behind the front-runner Ramsey at 5-2.

Player	Year	Odds
Brice Ramsey	Sophomore (RS)	5-2
Greyson Lambert	Junior (RS)	8-1
Faton Bauta	Junior (RS)	10-1
Jacob Park	Freshman (RS)	20-1

Lambert is, without question, the most experienced quarterback on the Georgia roster. He started nine games at Virginia last year and was sidelined in the middle of the season by a foot injury. He threw 10 touchdowns and 11 picks as a redshirt sophomore.

Those aren't exactly Heisman Trophy-caliber numbers. He did, however, toss three scores and only one pick against then-No. 5 Florida State and completed 68 percent of his passes (17-of-25) in a 30-13 win over Miami (Fla.) late in the season.

Player	Comp./Att.	Comp. %	Yds	TDs	INTs	Rush Yds	Rush TD
Greyson Lambert	187-of-336	55.7	1,972	11	13	-61	2
Brice Ramsey	24-of-39	61.5	333	3	2	0	0
Faton Bauta	4-of-5	80.0	48	0	0	46	2
Jacob Park	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

That experience is incredibly valuable for Lambert because no other quarterback on the roster can boast significant time against Power Five teams. He's going to know the speed of the game and what to anticipate more than the others, which will place him squarely in the mix to win the job.

But what about Ramsey?

He was Hutson Mason's primary backup last year, threw for 80 yards and a touchdown in mop-up duty vs. Kentucky and replaced an injured Mason in the second quarter of the Belk Bowl win over Louisville.

He also has the experience of an entire winter learning Schottenheimer's playbook. As wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell explained following the spring game, that's important.

"When he's teaching, he's rolling through. He's not taking five minutes to teach one play," Mitchell said. "It's like 10 seconds, and you better know it by tomorrow. He's brought that in. Every time we install, it's quick. A 30-play install might take five minutes."

Grant Halverson/Getty Images

Both of the favorites have the arm strength to stretch the field, and that's what sets them apart from Bauta.

Park is the wild card. He has comparable arm strength to Ramsey but hasn't taken a snap in a game and was clearly behind Ramsey and Bauta exiting spring practice. He has the biggest uphill climb of the foursome, and Lambert being inserted into the mix as they make the turn to summer conditioning only makes the challenge tougher.

Lambert is squarely in the mix to win the job and certainly provides insurance for the staff in case the eventual loser (or losers) decided to look elsewhere to play college football.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of CFBStats.com unless otherwise noted, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports' composite rankings.

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and college football video analyst for Bleacher Report, as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on Sirius 93, XM 208.

Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.