Ain’t no rest for the wicked—or for Kirby Smart, apparently. Just when Georgia fans thought they could move forward into the Gunner Stockton era, Paul Finebaum pulled up with the receipts and made sure everyone remembered exactly how the Bulldogs fumbled the bag with Carson Beck. And with Stockton’s issues creeping up, it’s looking like a case of ‘you don’t know what you got ‘til it’s gone.’

Paul Finebaum, never one to shy away from stirring the pot, straight-up questioned if Beck could’ve been the key to Georgia’s next title run. Instead, the 2024 starting QB dipped out to Miami in a portal shocker, securing a massive $4 million NIL deal and linking up with Mario Cristobal without even setting foot on campus. Finebaum didn’t hesitate to let Georgia fans know exactly how bad this could get.

“I don’t think it was a net plus for Georgia,” Finebaum told On3, laying it out with no sugarcoating. “I think it was a big boost for Mario Cristobal, who I really believe has put a good program together down there.” And he wasn’t done. “They literally threw away a playoff bid last year against Syracuse.” He continued, clearly unimpressed with Miami’s past but placing his hopes on Beck’s impact to make a playoff push.

Meanwhile, back in Athens, it’s looking real shaky for the Bulldogs. Gunner Stockton, the guy Georgia is banking on, is stepping into the fire. But the flames might be a little too hot. The 21-year-old is talented, no doubt, but he’s about to take over an offense that’s got question marks all over the field. And let’s keep it real—he’s no Carson Beck, at least not yet.

Finebaum didn’t let that slide either. “Georgia lost a better quarterback than the guy they have,” he said bluntly. And he’s got a point. Beck had his struggles in 2024, but the man threw for 3,485 yards and 28 touchdowns despite dealing with a shaky offensive line and a receiving corps that wasn’t exactly striking fear into secondaries. “He had so little to work with, the talent around him was so different than the year before with [Brock] Bowers and [Ladd] McConkey, that he just never could adapt, and he just didn’t look happy,” Finebaum explained.

Finebaum made it clear—this ain’t a problem; Kirby Smart can just recruit his way out overnight. And threw shade at Kirby Smart for Carson Beck’s infamous move just a day after declaring for the draft. “He was ill-advised to go into the draft, first of all, because of the injury.. And because there was never going to be a good read on that. So I think that made it easier for him to slip away than just going into the portal.” Typical one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Kirby Smart and Georgia low-key took L here.

Gunner Stockton’s troubles creep in

Gunner Stockton! He’s coming in with a grand total of one career start. Which happened in the Sugar Bowl loss to Notre Dame. And if Georgia’s offensive line doesn’t get its act together, the young gun might be in for a long season. “There’s no other way around it,” a UGA insider told Dawg Post. “Georgia’s offensive line has got to do better in 2025. They took a step backward last year from 2023.” That’s not what you want to hear when you’ve got an inexperienced QB taking over the reins.

Look, the trenches were supposed to be Georgia’s bread and butter, but last season? The Bulldogs allowed 25 sacks and averaged just 124 rushing yards per game—good for 102nd in the nation. For a program built on physicality, that’s low-key unacceptable. And now, with key linemen like Sedrick Van Pran, Tate Ratledge, and Xavier Truss all gone. The problems aren’t magically disappearing. Kirby Smart probably got his eyes on some big boys in the spring portal to beef up their trenches. “Someone’s got to come up and take it, and I think this spring you’ll see a few guys emerge”—per Georgia insider.

Georgia fans low-key gotta be wondering—was this whole thing mismanaged from the jump? Could Carson Beck have been convinced to stay? Should Smart have done more to keep a proven QB instead of rolling the dice on a kid with almost no experience? Because right now, it’s looking like Georgia might’ve played themselves.

Finebaum’s final word? “Georgia fans were in some way fatigued with Carson anyway. They lost a better quarterback than the guy they have.” Now, it’s on Kirby Smart to prove him wrong.