FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Georgia coach Kirby Smart reiterated on Wednesday that Stetson Bennett is the Bulldogs’ starting quarterback but left open the possibility that JT Daniels might play.

“JT’s situation will be a matter of, is the situation right,” Smart said, “and also, is he healthy enough.”

Daniels, along with feature receiver George Pickens, rejoined the team at practice on Tuesday at Barry University after arriving a day late on account of their time over the holiday break in COVID protocol.

WATCH: “Different atmosphere” with George Pickens, JT Daniels back at practice”

Smart initiated the specifics of the Georgia quarterback situation during a “Media Day” Zoom call on Wednesday that saw the Bulldogs also make players Jamaree Salyer and Travon Walker available.

Georgia plays Michigan in the Orange Bowl CFP Semifinal at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.

Bennett has started the past nine games for the Bulldogs, taking over after Daniels re-aggravated an upper-body injury in the fourth game of the season, exiting the Vanderbilt contest after the first quarter with a 35-0 lead.

Daniels returned from the strained lat injury four games later and was cleared to play against Florida.

There was some speculation after Bennett struggled against the Gators (10-of-19 passing, 161 yards, 2 interceptions) that Daniels might be able to compete to get his job back.

Offensive coordinator Todd Monken indicated on Tuesday that Bennett has played so well — making what he called “national championship plays” — that Daniels has not had an opportunity to reclaim the job.

WATCH: Todd Monken has “no doubt” Stetson Bennett is a national championship quarterback

Neither Monken nor Smart, however, have directly addressed why Daniels wasn’t brought into the SEC Championship Game on Dec. 4 after Bennett threw a Pick-6 that put the Bulldogs behind by 21 points.

Still, Monken and Smart maintain the quarterback position remains fluid.

“We play every game independent of the previous,” Smart said. “I think Stetson has played at a high level, done a really good job with our offense. He has not played perfect by no means, but he’s played well.”

Said Monken: “The reality is that we don’t know what’s behind the next decision. We know what we make the decision based on what we see on a daily basis.”

Smart acknowledged that making a quarterback change has a more profound effect than substituting at other positions.

“It’s based on the situation in the game, things discussed prior to the game, how practices have gone during the week and in previous weeks,” Smart said, asked about the sensitivity of making a quarterback change as opposed to other positions.

“It’s certainly something we talk about as a staff, but yeah, it’s different than other positions when It comes to making that decision for your whole team. That guy is the face and leader of the team.”

Smart said he knows that fans and media have talked about the Georgia quarterback situation a great deal, and he admitted he and his staff have discussed it quite a bit, too.

“It’s something our offensive staff has talked about a lot,” Smart said. “I’ll be honest with you, I’ve been really confident in Stetson. I’m confident in Stetson now, and I’m confident in JT.”

Asked if Daniels showed any signs of “rust” at practice, Smart said “there’s not a lot to address there,” and left it at that.

“JT’s done a tremendous job in all of our practices of being able to be effective and understand what we have to do offensively,” Smart said earlier this month, indicating that Daniels’ upper-body injuries had subsided.

“We get to see him go sometimes against the (second) defense, and sometimes he gets to go against the one defense (starters), depending on what we’re working on.”

Monken indicated on Tuesday that freshman Brock Vandagriff has also been practicing well leading up to the bowl game.