Gunner Stockton is having no trouble winning over new-look Georgia locker room

ATHENS, Ga. — Kirby Smart hasn’t officially named Gunner Stockton as Georgia’s starting quarterback for the 2025 season. That probably won’t happen until sometime during preseason camp. But the Bulldog head coach has stated that he wishes he had more Gunner Stocktons on this team.

Stockton is in his fourth spring with the program. He has seen it all on the practice field. Whether it’s the pace or complexity of practice, the junior quarterback knows how it works. Stockton knows what the Georgia staff is trying to accomplish with each install period, scrimmage, etc.

Coaches love Stockton and players like him. Because the quiet, laid-back signal caller loves to prepare, he’s always ready. But teammates also appreciate what he brings to the table. His consistency, work ethic, and competitive nature has helped him win over a talented Georgia locker room.

Even the guys who just joined the team less than 100 days ago.

“Oh yeah, Gunner Stockton, I knew he was a dog since we started off in the workouts,” junior slot receiver Zachariah Branch said in his first meeting with media as a Bulldog earlier this week. “I can tell easily from the work ethic and how you prepare yourself to go out there and be the best version of yourself. I can definitely tell that he was really trying to compete every rep. When we’re doing conditioning, he’s really trying to win, trying to push himself to be the best version of himself, and that’s what I like to surround myself around. So me and Gunner, we clicked off pretty early, got a chance to get on the same page, ran some routes on our own time just to get that chemistry down. He’s been a real help for me in this offense as well too.” 

We’ve seen the support with our own eyes. When Carson Beck sustained a ulnar collateral ligament in the SEC Championship game, Stockton’s number was called. It happened on the final play of the first half, giving Stockton about 25 minutes to get ready for the first meaningful action of his career.

The Bulldogs trailed 6-0 and got the ball first to start the second half. Stockton helped move Georgia down the field on that opening possession where they took a 7-6 lead. He threw a bad interception near the end of regulation, allowing Texas to tie the game.

Then, after Georgia forced Texas to kick a field goal with the first possession in overtime, Stockton ripped off an eight-yard run on 2nd and 8 from the Texas 12-yard line. He took a bone-jarring hit at the end of that run, losing his helmet in the process.

Beck came back into the game for one play, handed the ball off to Trevor Etienne, and Georgia walked off with a 22-19 win. The writing was on the wall in the days after the SEC Championship game. Beck’s camp went completely quiet but murmurs of a season-ended UCL injury made their way out. He was done and the team belonged to Stockton.

The Bulldogs did not play well enough to beat Notre Dame but Stockton wasn’t really to blame. With no run game to speak of and very poor pass protection, Stockton gave them a chance. He completed 20 of 32 passes for 234 yards and a touchdown.

He was on the wrong end of a strip sack at the end of the first half that allowed the Fighting Irish to carry a 13-3 lead into the half. That was enough as the offense couldn’t make the plays necessary to get it done but few, if any, came away from that game less confident in Stockton than they were going in.

Fast forward a few short months and Stockton is evolving. The once very quiet, unassuming youngster from extreme Northeast Georgia is stepping out of his comfort zone. It’s not going unnoticed.

“I see a lot of, a more talkative version of Gunner,” senior wideout Dillon Bell said. “He’s very mature. He’s taking action, he’s being a leader, he’s putting guys where they need to be. I like what I’m seeing from him, yeah, I really love what I see. He’s picking up where he left off in the Notre Dame game.”