For years, the Georgia Bulldogs stood at the pinnacle of college football—elite recruiting, elite development, and four national championships to back it up. But the college football world isn’t what it used to be. The game is evolving fast, and it’s not just what happens on Saturdays that determines success anymore. NIL money talks, and it’s shifting the balance across programs. Even the Bulldogs, long built on discipline and in-house development, are now being forced to adapt. And in the middle of all this change? A quarterback shake-up, big decisions from Kirby Smart, and a clear sign that Georgia is finally shifting gears in the NIL arms race.

With Carson Beck transferring to Miami after an up-and-down 2024 season, the spotlight is now fully on Gunner Stockton. And the vibes around him? Way different than what we saw with Beck. Dawg Post insider Ryan Kerley summed it up best: “The vibe changed when Gunner Stockton became George’s quarterback. The vibe certainly changed and things were happier again. And it felt like there was like this hope all of a sudden that wasn’t there before. And I’m not putting that on Carson Beck. I think that he is a good quarterback. I think that he got worse. and you know he played much better in 2023.”

Beck, who backed up during Georgia’s national title runs in 2021 and 2022, struggled in 2024 as QB1, tossing 12 interceptions and dealing with an elbow injury that derailed the season. The pressure mounted. And with Miami offering him a fresh start—along with a reported $4 million NIL deal—he took it. That left fans in Athens feeling some type of way, with whispers of “betrayal” floating through Bulldog Nation. But that departure gave Stockton his shot.

Now, the QB battle in Athens is between Stockton and redshirt freshman Ryan Puglisi. Stockton, standing at 6’1″ and 215 pounds, is getting the full backing of the locker room—and more importantly, Kirby Smart. Kerley added, “And Kirby, the way that he talked about Gunner was just with so much respect and admiration. He doesn’t talk about every player like that.”

It’s not just words, either. Gunner led Georgia to a dramatic 22-19 overtime win against Texas in the SEC Championship, earning his moment in the spotlight. After the game, Smart gushed: “This kid is a winner. This kid’s special.”

And the love isn’t just coming from the coach. “He leads by example, he’s a film junkie and he just wants to win. So he’s got a lot of those traits that Kirby really wants not out of a quarterback, but out of a player on his team. And the vibe was just different; all the players are talking about how they trust Gunner Stockton. And then now you need to have that; you need to put that faith into a player to give them that empowerment to feel better and feel more confident. But it was genuine; these guys love Gunner Stockton,” said the Dawg Post insider.

So yeah, it’s clear: Georgia is all in on Gunner. But Smart knows talent alone won’t keep the Bulldogs on top anymore—not in the NIL era.

Smart moves: Georgia finally joins the NIL arms race

Georgia has traditionally taken a more conservative approach to NIL. While other programs threw around millions, the Bulldogs stayed focused on development. But recently, that strategy has started to show cracks. Top prospects have slipped away—not because Georgia wasn’t a great football school, but because others were more aggressive with NIL packages.

Now, that’s changing….

In a conversation with Andy Staples, recruiting insider Steve Wiltfong revealed a major philosophical shift. “And I think this is truly the recruiting cycle where we see Kirby Smart in Georgia, kind of let it rip a little bit more on the NIL front,” Wiltfong explained.

In 2023, Georgia took a step forward by creating an in-house NIL department in partnership with Altius Sports. But even that wasn’t enough to stay competitive with programs like Tennessee, Texas, and Florida that are going all-in. Wiltfong continued, “Georgia was winning with the way that they were recruiting and developing players internally, but to have some misses on the recruiting trail and know that those misses were purely because of NIL. I think we’re seeing Georgia arming up in that arena more than ever in 2026 as well.”

That arms race is only heating up. According to Opendorse, the NIL market for the 2024–25 season is expected to hit $1.7 billion—$1.1 billion of that for football alone. “It’s been really interesting to watch the competitive balance between the states. Tennessee is more aggressive, Florida wants to get more aggressive, and then Texas wants to get more aggressive. More state laws are passed and repealed and then passed again,” said Rob Sine, CEO of Blueprint Sports. So, it’s no surprise Georgia is finally waking up to the reality—talent needs money, not just tradition.

With 14 Bulldogs expected to go in the upcoming NFL Draft, including big names like Mykel Williams, Malaki Starks, and Jalon Walker, the message is clear: Georgia develops pros. But to get those future stars in the first place, NIL is no longer optional—it’s essential. So What Now?

Kirby Smart’s bet on Gunner Stockton isn’t just about Xs and Os—it’s about energy, leadership, and giving fans hope again. But alongside that, Georgia is finally evolving off the field. The Bulldogs’ NIL game is gearing up to match their football dominance. And Georgia, for the first time, is truly embracing the full game—on and off the field.