Now what’s the reigning narrative of the 2025 season? The quarterback battle for the QB1 spot. Unfortunately, Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs failed to mark themselves safe from the big dilemma. Yes, Smart holds two national titles and three SEC championships, but he lacks the clarity to choose his QB1 between Gunner Stockton and Ryan Puglisi.

As the HC looks for someone to come up with a detailed blueprint about the Xs and Os and who is better between Stockton and Puglisi, his wish comes true. A Georgia insider dished out his take on Stockton’s fate. However, amidst all this QB drama, Smart can not afford to forget what went wrong with his ex-QB Carson Beck and not press the repeat button.  

Georgia insider sheds light on Kirby Smart’s growing QB battle 

The beginning of 2025 came with the biggest blow for Smart and Co. They lost their QB Beck to the Miami Hurricanes. And yet the spot is empty.  Here’s some old Family Guy joke for Smart’s QB situation. Gunner Stockton is a boat. Ryan Puglisi is a mystery box, which could be anything. It could even be a boat! If history is any lesson, we know that the HC will be choosing experience over anything. And you like it or not, Stockton, with all of one start in his career, is the far more experienced option at the quarterback position. He came up with 45-of-64 passing attempts (70.3%) for 440 yards and one interception in the only four game appearances. Cut to, Puglisi is yet to throw a collegiate pass. Amidst all this confusion, Georgia insider Ryan Kerley came up with his analysis. 

On the March 22 episode of the UGA Football on Dawg Post podcast, he shed light on how Puglisi is a charming option. “Ryan Puglisi has a lot of arm talent and that is apparently noticeable not just to me. It’s noticeable to a lot of people. And it’s one of those things where you look in drills and you’re like ‘Man, Ryan Puglisi’s ball just flies off the fingertips.’ He’s got a rocket of an arm.” Maybe, all this he has picked up while playing baseball, throwing in tight windows. However, there is another side to the story as well. 

Looks like all these talents won’t be able to outweigh his lack of experience. Kerley then puts the doubts to rest. “But right now it seems like Gunner Stockton is just the better quarterback at this point in time and despite what many people think… Gunner Stockton is going to be Georgia’s quarterback in 25. He can bet on him to be the Heisman Trophy winner. You can’t bet on Ryan Puglisi.” Well, Stockton has already started to take baby steps to win Smart’s trust.

His latest feat in Georgia’s Pro Day did turn a lot of heads. During the wide receiver’s workout portion for Pro Day, Gunner Stockton threw passes for the Bulldog receivers running routes. Now definitely it was a rare sight given the QB’s passing sample being so small. Besides, the QB drama, Smart have also got some other mess to clear.    

Lessons for Kirby Smart from their recent dark past  

Kerley did not mince his words while giving a wake-up call to Kirby Smart. Georgia ended the season averaging just 124.4 rushing yards per game. This was by far the worst of the Smart era in Athens. They ran for 1,700 yards that’s far lower from what Georgia’s standard is – mostly over 2,000 yards and even over 3,000 yards in some cases. Obviously, it had a domino effect on the offense. And who had to bear the greatest blows? Their QB Beck. 

“Put too much on Carson Beck’s shoulders… With a supporting cast in a receiving core that wasn’t as talented.” The receivers have struggled with drops all season. Post which Beck had to push himself beyond his limits. The QB then came up with 12 interceptions whereas it was 6 in 2023 and 0 in 2022. On that note, Kerley gives a reminder. “Oscar Delp talked about it a little bit the other day… that look they just were listening to outside noise too much and they weren’t focused on their fundamentals as much. And George’s offense fell apart. [But] that cannot happen again.” Now what if they fortify their fortress will Stockton be a good successor for Beck?

Analyst Greg McElroy on the ESPN College Football podcast made a bold prediction. “Well if you look at Gunner Stockton compared to what they had the last two years with Carson Beck, you have a little bit more mobility at the quarterback spot.” Not just this Kirby Smart’s QB reminded the analyst about Connor Shaw from a few years back at South Carolina. Do you know both of them wear the No.14 jersey? Coincidence much? Let’s see how the QB picture changes in Kirby Smart’s squad in 2025.