Spring football is in full swing in Athens. And for Georgia fans, this means one thing — the quest for a championship starts now. But this year, Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs aren’t just reloading, they’re rebuilding. With a young, unproven WR room and a QB battle surrounding Gunner Stockton and Ryan Puglisi, the Dawgs have their work cut out for them.
As far as the QB dilemma is concerned, J.D. PicKell thinks Gunner Stockton holds the key to Georgia’s offense in 2025. In a new On3 episode on March 20, he simply laid out his thoughts — “When you talk about who I expect to be their quarterback next season, I think it’s going to be Gunner Stockton.” It’s not just his strong arms that’s making his case here. As the analyst added, “He brings a different skill set to this offense. I think when you talk about how they’re going to run the football next season, a lot of it could be Gunner Stockton.” His dual-threat ability is the real weapon.
Gunner Stockton put up video game numbers at his high school at Rabun County both in passing and running. 13,652 passing yards and 177 passing TDs and 4,372 rushing yards and 77 rushing scores across four seasons. He’s got the arm talent to make every throw, the legs to make defenses pay, and the toughness to take a hit and keep rolling.
As PicKell added, “I believe if he’s you’re starting quarterback, I think he will be utilized to some extent and what that does is it can cause a defense to have to be a half step slower or at the very least prepared for a couple extra periods during the week with QB design run games baked in there. So that’s going to benefit Georgia.”
The former Gatorade Player of the Year has a dual-threat ability that gives Georgia something it hasn’t fully unleashed in past years. A QB who can truly be a factor in the run game. At 6’1, 215-pounds with a 4.65 40-yard dash? That’s a QB who can extend plays, absorb contact, and slow defenses. “Gunner is very different from Carson,” Kirby Smart said. “He’s different from Stetson and Jake and JT. He’s his own person.” And that’s what makes him dangerous. If he can master the run game, it will ease Smart’s WR concerns.
Kirby Smart is concerned about his WR corps
Georgia’s WR room is loaded with talent but that doesn’t always translate into instant production. Kirby Smart pulled in five new receivers in the 2025 class led by No. 4 WR recruit Talyn Taylor. But so far, it hasn’t been smooth sailing. In Tuesday’s post spring practice conference speech, the HC weighed in his concerns saying, “They’ve got to get in shape. They’re constantly tired at practice. They’ve got their hands on their hips, exhausted… There’s no lack of effort and they’re talented, but they’ve got a long way to go in terms of learning what to do and that’s our job.” Not exactly a ringing endorsement!
Spring football is where young players make their biggest strides. But Kirby Smart openly questioning their conditioning? That’s a concern. If the new faces in the WR room aren’t ready, it could put more pressure on Gunner Stockton to make plays with his legs, if he gets the starting nod. But at least, the Bulldogs aren’t relying on freshmen. They raided the transfer portal and secured Texas A&M WR Noah Thomas and USC transfer Zachariah Branch who are both expected to start in 2025.
While all signs point to Gunner Stockton as the QB1, the big question still hangs over Athens. Can he deliver?
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