ATHENS — Better than anyone, former Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm knows how Gunner Stockton feels.
Fromm, like Stockton, made his first career start as a Georgia quarterback against Notre Dame. The former Georgia quarterback’s first start in Sanford Stadium came in his second start as a Georgia Bulldog.
A Georgia native, Fromm admitted to feeling the pressure of the moment. He even managed to beat Notre Dame on the road, whereas Stockton and Georgia lost to the Fighting Irish in the Sugar Bowl in last season’s College Football Playoff.
“I mean, I could not be more just nervous,” Fromm said of his first start in Sanford Stadium. “I’m about to absolutely throw up on the sideline in front of everybody.”
Things worked out just fine for Fromm, as he completed eight of his 13 pass attempts that day, throwing for 165 yards and three touchdowns.
The Bulldogs cruised to a 42-14 win over an overmatched Samford team, easing Fromm in after a difficult first career start.
While Stockton has not been named the team’s starting quarterback, the expectation is that he will step out onto the field with the first-team offense.
“I feel for Gunner here in this moment,” Fromm said. “This is (his) first start (at home), and he’s probably feeling a little bit of pressure to go out and excel. For him, I think just go and play it and don’t worry about it.”
Against Notre Dame, Stockton completed 20 of his 32 pass attempts for 234 yards, a touchdown pass and a fumble. The Bulldogs lost, but Stockton’s play was far from the reason why.
“I don’t think Gunner played poorly,” Kirby Smart said at SEC Media Days. “Gunner’s statistics, they were good, but (offensive coordinator) Mike (Bobo) took care of it, too. There were some passes in there that are behind the line of scrimmage. You help quarterbacks with those things. You give them confidence.”
Stockton will get to face an overmatched Marshall team Saturday, with Georgia a 39½-point favorite against a team with 60 new players on its roster.
Stockton will become the sixth quarterback to start a game at Sanford Stadium under Smart. The other five quarterbacks all won in their debuts as starters. The performances though vary between the five signal-callers.
Jacob Eason started the 2016 home opener. He was a freshman, but he had seen significant snaps in Georgia’s season-opening win over North Carolina at the Georgia Dome the week before.
But Eason did not make a great first impression. Eason completed 13 of his 23 pass attempts for 206 yards. He threw one touchdown and an interception, but Georgia squeaked out a 24-21 win over Nicholls State. It was far too close for comfort, so much so that Greyson Lambert came off the bench to help squeak out the victory.
Fromm’s first start came during the 2017 season. He held the job through the next three seasons. Georgia opened the 2020 season on the road against Arkansas, with D’Wan Mathis starting. He did not make it to halftime, with Stetson Bennett stepping in and guiding Georgia to victory.
Bennett made his first career start the following game against Auburn. Bennett completed 17 of his 28 pass attempts for 240 yards and a touchdown. Georgia dispatched the No. 7 Tigers with ease, winning 27-6.
That performance proved to be the high-water mark for Bennett that season, as he later was replaced by JT Daniels after Georgia lost to Florida. His first start came against Mississippi State, where he would author the best performance by a quarterback in his first start in Sanford Stadium.
He connected on 28 of his 38 pass attempts for 401 yards and four touchdowns. No quarterback has thrown for more yards in a game since Smart became Georgia’s head coach.
Daniels, it’s worth noting, did have starting experience from his team at USC. Of the five quarterbacks to previously start under Smart, Daniels had a leg up in terms of understanding the speed of the game.
He propelled Georgia to a 31-24 win over Mississippi State. Daniels went 7-0 as Georgia’s starting quarterback, but ultimately saw Bennett get the job back. In his first start in Sanford Stadium in the 2021 season, Bennett completed 10 of his 12 pass attempts for 288 yards and five touchdowns against Alabama-Birmingham.
He went on to win two national championships as Georgia’s starting quarterback. After he was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams, Carson Beck stepped in as QB1. His debut came in a 48-7 win over Tennessee-Martin.
Beck was efficient, completing 21 of his 31 pass attempts for 294 yards and a touchdown. He had seen previous work as a backup quarterback. His first home start also came in his fourth season at Georgia.
Stockton similarly waited his turn at Georgia. Beck’s injury at the end of the 2024 season thrust Stockton into the spotlight at the conclusion of his third season in Athens.
To this point, we’ve already seen a little of what Stockton can do. He’s faced far tougher competition against Texas and Notre Dame.
Now, he’ll step under center in his home, and dream, stadium.
“I’m comfortable with it,” Stockton said of being Georgia’s starting quarterback at SEC Media Days. “It’s something, I grew up, I wanted to do my whole life, and be the quarterback at the University of Georgia, so I’m excited.”
About the Author
Connor Riley has been covering the University of Georgia since 2014 before moving to DawgNation full-time before the 2018 season. He helps in all areas of the site such as team coverage, recruiting, video production, social media and podcasting. He graduated from the University of Georgia in 2016.
