After Carson Beck quickly changed wagons following a devastating year at Athens, Kirby Smart found his solace in Gunner Stockton. The guy stepped into the center during the Sugar Bowl against Notre Dame. Although he couldn’t save the game, some believe Stockton made a strong case to be the next guy leading the offense that boasts an SEC title. CFB critic Paul Finebaum wasn’t among those ‘some’ nonetheless. While Stockton made 20 out of 32 passes for 234 yards with a pretty average touchdown in the Sugar Bowl, whether he evaluates it right or not is a different debate. But Stockton seems to have a danger breathing down his neck.

Kirby Smart has made it clear to his recruits that they need to earn their stripes. No matter who they are, what their stat looks like, they will have to beat the odds. Although it’s Stockton who gets the most votes from the analysts, including Adam Breneman, there have been some grey areas.

“I think you have to kind of trust the process a little bit. Understand that yes, we live in this transfer portal age, where it’s nice to know that hey, we just went into the portal, got a receiver. Got a left tackle. Got a quarterback that has two years of experience, we’ve seen the tape… It’s nice as a fan to go into a season with that confidence. But it’s a little bit harder nowadays to trust that hey that quarterback Gunner Stockton, who’s been in the system has played games, is going to develop and get the time and reps now necessary in spring and in fall camp, summer to be a legitimate quarterback within the SEC.” ESPN analyst Aaron Murray dished a stern reality check.

However, he believes that Smart can be the man to better foster his offense with whichever quarterback he deems a fit. Right now, Georgia is ready to gear up with Stockton, most likely carrying the torch. But it won’t be wise to sleep on Smart’s QB1 contender, Ryan Puglisi, as well. “I think that the biggest difference is that while Puglisi could be and deemed to be maybe the more talented of the two quarterbacks. Better arm strength, you know, very equal in the in the mobility category, it’s just not there with the speed of understanding the offense,” the former Georgia QB drew a massive gap, “it’s not the sense of like, why can’t you dumb down the offense if he’s the better quarterback!”

“I’m sure Puglisi knows what he needs to do. What if I tell him,” Aaron added, “‘Hey man, curl flats, what are you doing here?’ ‘Well, single high I’m gonna work this way, versus two high probably gonna work here rat check.’ Like he gets all that, I guarantee it. But can he put his offensive line in a position to pick up a backside corner blitz?” The question remains unanswered. Gunner Stockton? Yes, a guy with the locker room trust, but can’t yet guarantee you another SEC title in 2025.

But that’s not the end. There is more concern looming large for the Georgia HC in his crucial 10th season.

Georgia might have to pay a price for a massive drawback

Smart led the program to the helm of the SEC seven times during his tenure. He has lifted two Natty as well, mounting some quality football dominating the mix. But in 2024, they have had three losses in the season. No, that same Carson Beck theory didn’t tell the entire story.

“What we know about Georgia is they handle missteps and, dare I say, adversity, the correct way. The adversity that was last year, in a year where they still won the SEC, and they were nowhere near their expectation of what they should be on the line of scrimmage,” ON3‘s J.D. PicKell said.

There have been a lot of doubts and debates over the Dawgs’ play calling. Georgia’s offensive performance has largely been riddled with some unforgivable misses, lackluster starts, and poor running of the ball. The offensive tackles also underperformed and struggled with injuries. If 2025 has to be a changed script, it’s a wake-up call for Coach Smart to take some steps.