“I’d like to, heck, always get better,” Gunner Stockton himself admitted once. “Just watch the tape, the little stuff. Just watch it back. I know I can play better.” That self-awareness is a good sign, but it’s just the first step. Georgia quarterbacks—they’re not just throwing passes, they’re battling the Bulldog legacy. With Herschel Walker as the last Dawg to take home the award, doing so as a junior in 1982, the ghosts of national champions and Heisman hopefuls loom over Athens like a fall Saturday fog. And for Stockton, that shadow is long and relentless. He knows it, too.
After stepping in for Carson Beck in the SEC Championship and making his first college start in the Sugar Bowl, Stockton isn’t just fighting to be Georgia’s QB1—he’s fighting to live up to an expectation that only gets bigger with every championship banner Kirby Smart raises. And now, with his name creeping into Heisman conversations, the pressure is rising even higher.
That pressure exists because of the era he’s stepping into. Stetson Bennett’s run in Athens was just legendary. The last Dawg Heisman finalist in 2022, he was closer than anyone in Georgia in years. A testament to development over raw talent. And in a post-Bennett world, everything feels a little more uncertain. “In a post-Stetson Bennett world, I am not gonna be the guy that sits here and doubts Kirby Smart and his staff’s ability to put a winner, to develop a winner, and put him on the field,” Josh Pate said on The Scoop with Dukes.
There’s merit to that argument—Smart’s track record speaks for itself. But there’s also no denying that Gunner Stockton, for all his potential, is still somewhat of an unknown. His Sugar Bowl loss to Notre Dame? A learning experience. His relief effort against Texas? A flash of something intriguing, but still just a small sample size.
That small sample size is exactly why Pate set Stockton’s Heisman chances at a six on a scale of one to ten. Host Phillip Dukes asked, “Speaking of questions, with a ten being a legit Heisman candidate and a zero being this guy needs to be processed out of the system, where do you see Gunner Stockton performing at this year on a scale of one to ten? ” And Pate, without any hesitation, said, “Six, something like that.”
“I don’t think I would ever see Georgia take the field with a quarterback that’s not capable of winning for them, and not every one of them is going to be Matthew Stafford or anything like that.” In other words, Stockton is good enough to win at Georgia, but Heisman-caliber? That’s where the skepticism kicks in. And that skepticism isn’t necessarily about him—it’s about the surrounding pieces.
More specifically, it’s about the offensive line. QBs don’t operate in a vacuum, and while Gunner Stockton may have the talent to take over games, his ability to do so is directly tied to what’s happening in front of him. That’s where the concern starts to creep in. “It wouldn’t surprise me if Georgia had a just total dominant group of stud offensive linemen this year,” Pate admitted. “I don’t know, man. I’m in the position with them where if they prove me wrong, they’re going to prove me wrong by overperforming.” That’s not exactly a ringing endorsement. Georgia is replacing a significant amount of production up front, and while the program has never been short on talent, continuity is a different beast. It’s hard to drop a first-year starter behind an unsettled line and expect magic.
That’s also the biggest difference between Stockton and Bennett. Bennett had the luxury of working behind one of the most stable offensive lines in college football, allowing him to extend plays, take risks, and operate with a level of confidence that can’t be manufactured. “Maybe Bennett was a lot more comfortable, in a lot more steady position back there because of the guys in front of him,” Pate pointed out. “But again, I always go back to this—if you’re not careful when you follow college football, you start to develop this mentality that it’s the pro game.” Players come and go faster, and even elite programs like Georgia aren’t immune to growing pains. Stockton might have the tools, but if the line isn’t solid, those tools won’t matter as much.
So where does that leave Stockton’s Heisman hopes? Right now, in limbo. He has a path, but it’s a narrow one. He needs his offensive line to gel quickly. He needs to show that the flashes from last season weren’t just flukes. He needs to prove that Smart’s trust in him is justified. Currently busy throwing in Georgia’s Pro Day, it might be too early to talk about his Heisman.
Gunner Stockton takes center stage at Georgia’s Pro Day
NFL scouts, coaches, and general managers have flocked to Athens, Georgia, as the University of Georgia’s Pro Day is officially underway. For many Bulldog prospects, this event is another opportunity to fine-tune their draft stock before the NFL Draft, but for one Bulldog in particular, it’s a brand-new stage.
During the wide receiver workout portion, quarterback Gunner Stockton took the field to throw passes for Georgia’s receivers—a rare sight for Bulldog fans. With limited game film available on Stockton, this was one of the first real glimpses of his arm in a high-profile setting. For NFL teams, Pro Day is all about evaluating talent, and for Georgia’s prospects, it’s the final showcase before their professional dreams become reality. Under Kirby Smart, the Bulldogs have become an NFL pipeline, consistently churning out first-round talent year after year. While the draft process takes center stage, Georgia’s 2025 season isn’t far behind.
The Bulldogs are set to open their campaign on Saturday, August 30th, hosting the Marshall Thundering Herd in Athens. With Smart still undefeated in season openers and Georgia riding a 30-plus game win streak at home.
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