Gunner Stockton, having waited his turn behind Carson Beck patiently enough, is now taking his moment in the sun. But rather than a hero’s welcome, the national media has been, ahem, a bit skeptical. Paul Finebaum is questioning whether Stockton has what it takes after Georgia’s offense sputtered in that playoff loss to Notre Dame, scoring only 10 points. Kirby Smart, Georgia’s head coach, isn’t having any of that negativity. Sure, he’s been pretty diplomatic at press conferences, lumping Stockton in with Ryan Puglisi when asked about the starting job. But read between the lines, and Smart’s behavior says it all.
Smart came to Stockton’s defense right on the Paul Finebaum show, expressing that he’s “excited” about what Gunner has to offer and even snickered at the naysayers, quipping, “I love question marks.” That’s vintage Kirby—he channeled skepticism into motivation, just as he did during Georgia’s 2022 undefeated streak. Naturally, there’s a lot to do. Stockton needs plenty of practice sessions around, but everybody’s in agreement that he has to gain more actual game experience before he can advance with confidence. That’s what brings it all to the SEC quarterback rankings.
During the May 30th edition of Southeastern 16, Chase Robinson and Blake Lovell kept it straightforward. “He got some quality reps in the latter half of an SEC championship and a playoff game. They did lose that playoff game,” Lovell reports. “He’s stepping into a role, and it’s going to be a tough one to step into. I think he’s a good quarterback. I just got to see some more out of him before I bump him up the list,” he adds. Stockton comes in at number 10 on their list—not too high, not too low, in that “prove-it” category.
Stockton is stepping into some seriously big shoes at Georgia. We’re talking about a program that expects to be in the playoff hunt every single year. Now, Stockton’s the guy expected to keep that train rolling. The hosts point out that he has gotten some “quality reps”—not just garbage time, but real, high-pressure moments. It’s the 2024 SEC Championship Game against Texas, and Georgia’s QB1, Carson Beck, injures himself just before halftime. Suddenly, all eyes turn to Gunner Stockton. Pressure! They tossed Stockton into the furnace—second half, SEC title at stake, and the entire season on the line. In his first drive, he led Georgia 75 yards to the score, exhibiting calmness and self-assurance that had everyone in the stadium sitting up a little taller. Then overtime arrived. Andrew Mukuba slammed Stockton up the middle, knocking off his helmet and drawing a targeting flag.
But this is the story: Stockton just bounced right back up like nothing had happened. Even Mukuba was impressed by Stockton’s quick recovery, praising his toughness. The next play, Georgia punched it in for the winning touchdown, securing the SEC championship and sending the Bulldogs to the College Football Playoff. “So, he’s one I could see being higher on this list later on, but again, I need to see more from Gunner Stockton. Let the cannon loose and do his thing. I feel like when he came into the SEC Championship, he was just running off adrenaline, and he had a great run and threw the ball. I just got to see more from Gunner Stockton.”
The hosts concede the Athens buzz is upbeat—coaches and insiders think Stockton has the arm talent and leadership. As any old SEC partisan will tell you, it’s one thing to be impressive in spring or mop-up duty; it’s another to do it week in, week out against the Alabamas and LSUs of the world. The hosts are optimistic with caution regarding Gunner Stockton. They can envision it. But until he puts some signature wins together and proves he can be “the guy” for Georgia, they’re waiting to get on the bandwagon.
Kirby Smart turning criticism into motivation
“I was underwhelmed by what I saw from Gunner Stockton in the Sugar Bowl loss to Notre Dame.” Says Paul Finebaum in his show. Now, those are some serious words. But wait until you see Kirby Smart jumping to his (Stockton) defense. It wasn’t just some stiff coach-speak; it was Smart in his element, standing up for his guy and turning a little preseason doubt into locker-room fuel.
Smart appeared on Finebaum’s show; he didn’t let it slide. With a grin, he told Finebaum he’d heard those comments loud and clear. “I didn’t overlook it. Yes, I’m thrilled. Gunner got the message, man,” Smart said, making it clear that not only did Stockton hear the criticism, but he’d use it as motivation. Kirby even credited Finebaum with the added boost, with a smile, “That’s why I always come on your show. Because I love the fact that you give me that extra motivation.”
He didn’t only come to the defense of his quarterback; he turned the opportunity into rallying his team. Smart’s a big fan of a good ‘us versus the world’ tale. He used doubt from the media to coast to a perfect season in 2022, remember? He’s doing the same here, informing Finebaum (and the globe) that question marks and doubt are precisely what galvanize Georgia football.
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