Gunner Stockton was just six years old when he first set foot on a football field. A few days after Georgia Bulldogs’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike Bobo’s father, George Bobo moved to the small (read: extremely small with a population of around 570) town of Tiger, Rabun County, Rob Stockton had an unusual request.

“George, can you come work with my son? In the morning before school starts?” the father had asked Bobo back in 2009 when he was the assistant coach to the Rabun County football team. Bobo obliged, and the six-year-old made sure he made it to the field four days per week at 6:30 am from January till March—every year till he was in eighth grade. But it was not like the practices were just a fluke. As the assistant coach had put it, “After I watched him the first time, I said, ‘Good gracious alive, he’s got a great arm, he’s an athlete. And 6 years old’.” Unfortunately, though, exactly 15 years later, Bobo’s faith would almost be shaken.

It was the SEC Championship game vs the Texas Longhorns where Georgia starter Carson Beck’s right elbow injury on the last play of the first half relegated him out of the field. Stockton, as a result, was left with just about 25 minutes to get ready for the biggest game of his college career. While the Bulldogs were trailing 6-0 at half-time, the backup signal caller helped move them down the field on the opening possession, raking in a 7-6 lead. However, despite a bad interception (leaving Bobo profusely swearing somewhere), the quarterback was eventually able to help his team clinch a 22-19 win, topped off by a helmet-losing run sending Bobo down memory lane.

Talking about Stockton’s eight-yard run on second-and-8 from the Texas 12-yard line—where he lost his helmet, thanks to a jarring hit, and got up almost immediately like nothing happened—George Bobo reminisced about one of his pupils telling him, “He told me, ‘Coach, it didn’t surprise me when he got up because I saw him get hit in Thomasville. He got blood all over his jersey, and he stuffed cotton up his nose and kept playing,’” George Bobo said. “That’s the type of kid he is. He is very good, very tough, very humble. Nothing fancy about him.” Unfortunately, that same level of confidence in the quarterback’s abilities has failed to permeate the rest of the community. On April 6, analyst Josh Pate broke down the huge uncertainty factor surrounding the new QB sensation.

“Stockton’s a really good athlete, but he’s also a mystery. He’s a mystery until he proves something. Now, if you’re at practice every day, I heard he had a really good scrimmage this past weekend. That’s wonderful, and I expect them to get pretty good quarterback play.” Pate continued, “I don’t think you’ll ever watch Georgia just be horrific at quarterback, but if we’re asking if they’re going to improve off winning the SEC, I think it’s more likely that they take a step back than they take a step forward,” he said during Josh Pate College Football Show.

Stockton is yet to get the starting gig as the Georgia QB1 formally for 2025. That won’t possibly happen until the preseason camp kicks off. But he is testing the waters, making all the early splashes in the practice field. He has been making himself more accustomed to the Georgia offense this offseason. Stockton has already shown some flashes of brilliance with his feet against the historic Sugar Bowl against the Fighting Irish but couldn’t snag the win. The Notre Dame defense was all over the Dawgs offense, making no room for an error. Stockton completed 20 of 32 passes for 234 yards, and a touchdown.

His one pair of fumbles (one lost) and negative 23 yards (including yardage from four sacks) raised questions about his longevity in the Georgia starting role, but let’s not forget that the young player jumped onto the rope of a top role with a very limited rep under his belt. Sure, he had deep, long ties with the school, but not reps. That’s where the dead trap lies. Gunner Stockton is starting at quarterback here. However, the defending SEC champions look a bit unsettled this year. Pate said they are not even halfway to the 2024 outlook, production-wise, this year. They have to undergo a major reshuffle in the offensive line going forward. Despite Mike Bobo’s alignment with Stockton, his past woes continue to spread doubts about their hopes for an SEC championship win for the second consecutive year.

However, ESPN chooses the Bulldogs as a potential SEC trophy winner this year. They had thrown for just 136 yards in that game against Texas and still won the card. It will be interesting to see if Stockton can hit that ceiling, given all the other factors work in his favor. But again, Paul Finebaum, just like Pate, doesn’t seem convinced about Georgia’s 2025 growth.

Paul Finebaum cuts down expectations for the new Georgia 

Paul Finebaum didn’t comment on their SEC fate, but the SEC Network journalist doesn’t consider Georgia a national title contender. Well, it’s no longer just confined to the Mike Bobo issues. He offered a sharper, wider criticism of the team as a whole.

“I don’t feel great because I do think they (the Georgia Bulldogs) took a dip,” Finebaum said. “And I think just like we used to with Nick Saban, expect him to play for the national championship, and losing the title game felt like a lost cause. It’s almost that way now with Georgia, and I felt like they underperformed. I mean, they came through at the right moment against Texas, but they had so many disappointing moments.”

It’s really hard to argue. Smart and his squad really divulged a lot of loopholes that the opponents can easily manipulate and knock them out early in the contest—well, a national championship contest, though. Because Paul thinks they still have the momentum to reach the playoffs, though. Previously, he bashed the head coach for being extra loyal to the OC and pointed out Stockton’s average showdown.

Paul Finebaum, however, still trusts Smart. So, if Georgia finds a way to come up with some quick fixes to their glaring issues this season, maybe, maybe, they will be in the game for a little longer than expected.