‘Why not Gunner Stockton’ for Heisman Trophy? Georgia QB among favorites

ATHENS — Gunner Stockton is back in the Heisman Trophy picture, and SEC Network expert Peter Burns doesn’t see that changing.

“Gunner is as live as anybody right now when it comes to the Heisman,” Burns told DawgNation during the “On the Beat” show, when asked about the current Heisman Trophy race.

Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza — a transfer from Cal that Georgia was also recruiting out of the portal last year — is the current front-runner at +340, followed by Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, who is at +350.

The other front-runners, in order per DraftKings.com, are Ohio State’s Julian Sayin (+400), Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia (+700), Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed (+1000) and then Stockton (+1200).

The Georgia quarterback is coming off arguably his best performance of the year, a 26-of-31 passing performance for 289 yards and a career-high four touchdowns, in addition to having 10 carries for 59 yards as the Bulldogs’ came from behind in the fourth quarter for a 42-35 win over previously unbeaten Ole Miss.

Georgia does not have a game this week as it prepares for a Nov. 1 clash with Florida in Jacksonville, and Burns sees more big numbers ahead.

‘Do you believe Florida will keep it together? No, so he can put up some numbers,” Burns said, going down the list of UGA’s remaining regular-season opponents. “Mississippi State, their defense has not been great, he could light them up. Texas, you get them, at least, at home. Charlotte he could be able put up a number.”

The Bulldogs conclude against Georgia Tech, and Burns believes Stockton will finish well enough that he can be among the four finalists who make the trip to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony.

“I don’t know if he wins it,” Burns said. “You look at Mendoza, they (Indiana) don’t play another ranked opponent, I don’t believe, other than in the Big Ten championship game, so Fernando will put up some monster numbers and pad those stats.”

But if Georgia keeps winning, Burns believes he and another SEC quarterback will finish high among the finalists.

“I sit there and I think Ty Simpson is legit, I think he’ll be there, and then honestly, why not Gunner Stockton?” Burns said. “There has to be somebody that’s the engine. We don’t appreciate fully enough what Gunner has done, but you go back and look at the throw (against Tennessee), that was a Heisman moment that he had on the throw to London Humphreys at Neyland ….

“Then he ends up playing damn good in that last game against Ole Miss, and won them that game, 12 for 12 in the (second half), he was perfect.”

To that point, Stockton became the first quarterback to complete 12 of 12 passes in a half against an AP top-five ranked team since Aaron Rodgers accomplished the feat while at Cal in 2004 against then-No. 1 USC.

Heisman Trophy favorites

(Per DraftKings.com, Oct. 20, 2025)

• Fernando Mendoza, +340

• Ty Simpson, +350

• Julian Sayin, +400

• Diego Pavia, +700

• Marcel Reed, +1000

• Gunner Stockton, +1200

• Dante Moore, +1400

• Jeremiyah Love, +2000

• Jeremiah Smith, +3000

• CJ Carr, +3500

• Trinidad Chambliss, +3500

• Jayden Maiava, +6000

• Carson Beck, +6000

• Brendan Sorsby, +7500

• John Mateer, +8000