UGA putting a lot on the arm of Gunner Stockton amid passing game worries

ATHENS — For all the chatter about the Georgia wide receiver position this month, Kirby Smart notes that success for that group can’t be self-made.

“The quarterbacks and the O-line a lot of times will make your receivers. So there’s not receivers don’t get to just go out and have success on their own,” Smart said. “They have to have a lot of things happen to have the success they’re going to have. They have to take advantage of opportunities they get, and they have to go against good people in competition.”

Georgia’s defense has provided plenty of competition, consistently getting the best of Georgia’s passing offense this August.

That’s made the evaluation of Georgia’s quarterback position tricky to this point. Especially for a very important backup position behind established starter Gunner Stockton.

“They’ve all gotten good work,” Smart said. “They’ve got quality reps. Gunner’s probably taken fewer this year than he did last year. He still takes substantially more than most, but he’s been able to kind of delegate some of those reps out to other guys, which has helped us develop them.”

Given how things went for the offense in Georgia’s first scrimmage, it’s not surprising that there’s been little separation between Ryan Puglisi, Ryan Montgomery, Hezekiah Millender and Bryson Beaver to this point.

With the field temperature reaching 114 degrees, conditions weren’t conducive to a strong passing output. Especially when most Georgia scrimmages skew pass-happy, so to limit the wear-and-tear along the lines of scrimmage.

“I’ve experienced enough being 50 years old that there comes a time in the scrimmage when it’s hard to throw it because there’s so much humidity and moisture in the air,” Smart said.

“We didn’t stop because of that. We kept doing it. It’s good to be able to overcome some of those hurdles that you get. Sometimes you grow from those and you get to rub their nose in it and you get better from it.”

Heading into this Saturday’s scrimmage, it’s going to be critical that this position has a better day. Doing so will make life easier for the wide receivers and the rest of the offense.

Expect Stockton to get more reps this coming Saturday, as it will be a major tuneup ahead of the 2026 season.

Stockton enters the year as the clear third-best quarterback in the conference. On Wednesday, he was voted Third-Team All-SEC by the league’s coaches.

But few, if any, would at this point slot him over Trinidad Chambliss of Ole Miss and Arch Manning of Texas.

In his final season at Georgia, Stockton will have to do more than he did a season ago.

“Gunner’s improved immensely,” Smart said. “I don’t think it’s in one area. I don’t think it’s confidence. I think it’s basically his mental capacity to handle a lot of information at once, process that information, and yet still make good decisions. Confidence in the pocket, his movement skills in the pocket have improved. His awareness of protections have improved.”

Given what’s behind Stockton at quarterback and around him at the wide receiver position, he’s going to have to validate Smart’s praise if the Georgia offense is to improve off what it did a season ago.

Georgia wants to be more aggressive in terms of pushing the ball downfield this season. That starts with Stockton, who at times a season ago seemed hesitant to put the ball in harm’s way. That led to only five interceptions but also left a number of big plays on the field.

One aspect Georgia has really focused on comes in the play-action passing game. It’s an area where Georgia can manufacture explosive pass plays, provided the offensive line holds up and the wide receivers get open.

“Him being able to stay in the pocket and look downfield definitely helps us get open and gives us more time to run our routes and make decisions going across the middle,” Georgia wide receiver Sacovie White-Helton said.

“And as far as him completing the ball downfield, he has a lot more touch. It goes down to him believing in himself.”

Stockton checks every box from a leadership standpoint. He’s even made an effort to be more vocal, which runs counter to his personality outside the white lines. There’s little question about his mental toughness and ability to do what it takes to lead Georgia.

A key factor for Stockton this year will be his availability. He can’t afford to miss time given all the questions around him in the Georgia passing game.

For a quarterback that runs and takes a beating, as he does, Stockton knows he has to protect himself.

Georgia won’t reach its ceiling with its starting quarterback in the blue medical tent.

“Sometimes he didn’t give enough space between him and the defender and took some wicked shots,” Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said. “And a lot of that’s on Gunner. I told him that: ‘A lot of that’s on you.’ That’s who he is to some extent. He’s gonna, to the last minute, hold onto that ball to try to make a play. And we’ve been working on trying to extend plays and be a little safer in and out of the pocket.”

Stockton’s ability to create off broken plays is one of the few things Georgia is confident in with its passing game.

Georgia knows Stockton can’t be Josh Allen, effortlessly flinging 50-yard bombs while rolling to his right. He’s got to play to his strengths, as the Bulldogs have to play well around him this coming season.