Former Georgia QB DJ Shockley: Bulldogs can only change narrative vs. Alabama on field

A man who knows Georgia football well is former quarterback D.J. Shockley. Back when he was on campus from 2002-2005, the Bulldogs had the same goal they’re looking to achieve on Monday — end the national championship drought.

Shockley had a great season in 2005, passing for 2,588 yards and 24 touchdowns. Additionally, the dual-threat quarterback added on 322 rushing yards and 4 rushing touchdowns to his resume. However, a championship eluded the quarterback.

Since his time, the narrative has been Georgia has potential to be great — but never as good as Alabama. Prior to the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship, Shockley revealed how he believes the Bulldogs can change the narrative.

“To be honest, nobody can really give you an answer until Georgia actually does it,” Shockley stated, in an appearance on The Paul Finebaum Show. “At the end of the day, I thought the [SEC] Championship Game was the time where Georgia would finally break through. Say okay, this is when you finally beat Nick Saban.

“You got the team. The defense that everyone says is one of the top in the last 10, 15 years. And you still don’t get it done. So, I can understand what the skepticism is. But until you do it, it’s going to be the same conversation. At the end of the day, there’s nothing that I can say, there’s nothing that Kirby [Smart] can say. It has to be done on the field, it has to be done with zeroes on the clock and Georgia has more points than Alabama. That’s really what it comes down to.”

Shockley: ‘It won’t matter until they beat their arch-nemesis’

Moreover, Shockley believes all the accolades Georgia has amassed are great. However, it doesn’t matter until they punch through the glass ceiling and defeat Alabama.

“All the X’s and O’s matter, all the players matter, but at the end of the day you got to find a way to win the ballgame by any means necessary,” stated Shockley. “Until Georgia can do that, that same hype that is what is Georgia and how good they can be and will be.

“It won’t matter until they beat their arch-nemesis. Which right now, is Alabama.”

When the Bulldogs take the field, they have the hopes of former players like Shockley on their shoulders. A win over Alabama could transform the landscape of college football, and reshape the future of Georgia and the SEC at large.