Now we know how college football athletes take pride in playing for heavyweight programs like the Georgia Bulldogs. But nobody talks about the pressure that comes with it. Right now, Kirby Smart’s quarterback Gunner Stockton can feel the heat. He is vying for the QB1 spot, competing against Ryan Puglisi. Turns out that Stockton is slipping away from the QB1 conversation little by little with every passing day. The analysts are already extra-critical, comparing Stockton with his predecessor Carson Beck. Whereas others find more confidence in Puglisi. That’s when Georgia insider draws a bleak picture for the quarterback. At the same time, Puglisi came up with a warning shot for Smart’s squad. 

Well, a Family Guy joke is apt when it comes to describing Smart and co.’s current quarterback situation. Gunner Stockton is a boat. Ryan Puglisi is a mystery box, which could be anything. It could even be a boat! When it comes to the Bulldogs’ history, Smart has learned the lesson the hard way, going through a dark past. He is likely to choose experience over anything. In that case, Stockton holds far more experience than Puglisi, even by a little. Coming up with 45-of-64 passing attempts (70.3%) for 440 yards, he had one start in his career. Whereas Puglisi is yet to throw a collegiate pass. But turns out that No. 2 player from Connecticut will be a more charming option. 

On the UGA Football on Dawg Post podcast, host Brandon Adams hinted at how things are going to be rough for Stockton. He did not openly lean towards Puglisi, but he did drop some hints. The host did his research for the question, “Which Georgia Bulldogs are under the most pressure in 2025?” And no brownie points for guessing who made it to the top of the list. Adams stated, “We’re going to start on offense. I know the easy answer to this question is Gunner Stockton, right? I totally get it, He’s the quarterback for one of the biggest and proudest programs across the country. Somewhat of a new starter. Still right, still a question mark. So there’s a lot of pressure obviously on Gunner Stockton.” If we keep Stockton and Puglisis side-by-side, the latter shows noticeable arm talent. 

As Adams pointed out earlier, “Puglisi’s ball just flies off the fingertips. He’s got a rocket of an arm.” The 19-year-old picked up this talent while playing baseball, throwing in tight windows. When it comes to Stockton, he didn’t play in 2022 as a redshirt, but he has logged a few appearances in 2023 and 2024. That’s when he is seen in the light of Beck. During the SEC championship game against Texas, Smart’s former QB Beck went down 22-19 in overtime. It was then that Stockton pounced into action, completing 12 of 16 passes for 71 yards and an interception. But even then, the QB has yet some polishing to do to reach Beck’s level.

As Dean Legge stated, “It’s quite like ‘23. We were really confident at least this group that Carson Beck was going to be the quarterback in 2023. He’ been around longer. He was more polished than any of the other guys.” The former quarterback will be remembered as a pure passer and mental processor in Athens. Now, what is the star freshman talking about?

Ryan Puglisi’s bold call-out pushes Gunner Stockton in deep water

Already, Stockton is losing the ground under his feet. Courtesy? His lackluster spring practice. He struggled with accuracy when it came to deep balls. They were mostly off-target, either falling too far or too short. As Legge shared his take after the quarterback’s spring practice feat. “At first I thought ‘Yeah Gunner looks good’ but then the ball was behind a little bit.” Maybe that gave somewhat of a hope to Puglisi.

The freshman quarterback voiced a blunt admission, making one thing clear to Smart. The 2025 season is going to be a make-or-break year for the Bulldogs. After all, last season, fate played foul, forcing them to hit the exit at the quarterfinals stage. Now, if Smart wants to grab the fifth national championship, Puglisi believes he is the guy. While Stockton helped guide the Dawgs to an SEC Championship Game win, he fell short against Notre Dame in the second round of the playoffs. Even though he very well knows that he is only a freshman, while Stockton — a redshirt junior, that doesn’t tame his internal rage. 

He came up with a bold message for Kirby Smart. “I definitely think I can, I could (be UGA’s starting quarterback) right now, definitely. I think if you’re at the quarterback position and you don’t believe that you could play, you should probably do something else, because you need some confidence.” If Ryan Puglisi needs some morale boost, he knows where to look. When it comes to the ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum, Gunner Stockton is a big no-no for him. He once stated, “I don’t know about Georgia. I know everybody was enthralled by Gunner Stockton after the Sugar Bowl, I was not.” So, the quarterback pressure cooker is on high heat! And Kirby Smart better choose wisely if he wants another ring.