Georgia could gain from more consistent, less cautious Gunner Stockton

ATHENS — Exiting Georgia’s game against Texas on Nov. 15, we thought we had a pretty good idea of who Gunner Stockton was as a quarterback. He was at his best in big moments, selectively using his legs and keeping the offense in rhythm.

But that 35-10 win for Georgia, where Stockton had a hand in all five of Georgia’s offensive touchdowns, was the last time he would play that well in a game. He threw for 229 yards in that game. Despite playing four more games after that, he never topped that passing yardage total.

After accounting for five touchdowns against Texas, he accounted for only seven touchdowns in the ensuing four games. He no longer looked to be the powering force behind the Georgia offense.

“He’s the leader of our team,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said of Stockton. “He’s the guy, the catalyst that makes us go with his legs and his arm, and the players play hard for him. I’m proud of his growth this season.”

Georgia’s offense scored 28 points in the SEC championship game against Alabama and 27 in the season-ending loss to Ole Miss. The only game he was outright bad in down the closing stretch was against Georgia Tech in the final regular-season game. He had only 70 yards passing on 21 attempts.

While Stockton’s passing numbers dipped, his rushing attempts ticked upward. In the final three games of the season, Stockton ran the ball 41 times. He finished with at least 13 carries in all of those games, something he did only twice in the previous 11 games.

Those hits add up and fail to account for some of the absolute shots Stockton takes when he drops back to pass. On two pass attempts, which both netted Georgia explosive plays, Stockton got lit up to the point that even the stunt performer Johnny Knoxville would’ve thought was excessive.

“He kept fighting every single day, every single play, every single down. He’s putting his body on the line,” wide receiver Zachariah Branch said of Stockton. “He’s taking crazy hits pretty much every game, and he’s getting up because he loves the team. So that’s something that’s really important for us as an offense and as a team.”

Stockton showed what his ceiling could be fairly often during his first full season as a starter. He was outright excellent in wins over Tennessee, Ole Miss and Texas.

But there were also prolonged stretches of play where Stockton couldn’t keep the offense moving. That proved problematic in what turned out to be a 39-34 loss to Ole Miss in the College Football Playoff.

Georgia held a 21-12 lead with the ball just before halftime. But over the next five possessions, Georgia netted only three points and saw Ole Miss flip the game to a 34-24 lead.

Stockton rallied Georgia from that deficit to tie the score at 34-34. For whatever reason, Stockton seemed to be at his best when Georgia was behind this past season.

Perhaps that is why Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo wants to see more of that attitude from Stockton moving into the 2026 season. It almost seems like Stockton was at times too cautious when it comes to leading the offense. He’d rather not make a mistake than make a big play.

“He’s an extremely tough individual,” Georgia offensive Mike Bobo said of Stockton. “Mentally and physically, and that’s what you want in that position, a guy that’s tough. And you also want a guy that’s humble, that goes to work every day. Doesn’t need to be told that he’s the greatest. He doesn’t flinch if you get on him. He doesn’t, if you say something positive or praise him, he doesn’t get too high. He just goes to work.”

Stockton largely did a good job of limiting turnovers, a problem for Carson Beck in 2024. Stockton threw only five interceptions in the 2025 season, compared with the 12 in 13 games for Beck.

There’s real confidence Stockton will be better in 2026 than he was in 2025. Even with how the season ended, Stockton wildly outperformed expectations in his first season as Georgia’s starting quarterback. He finished seventh in Heisman Trophy voting.