At Georgia, the QB1 debate is running hot, and the flames might be moving in the wrong direction. Kirby Smart hasn’t officially named Gunner Stockton the starter heading into 2025, but that hasn’t stopped speculation, criticism, and flat-out doubt from casting a shadow over the junior signal-caller. The losses to Alabama and Notre Dame have left a bitter aftertaste in Athens, but blaming Stockton is a lazy read. There’s a deeper crack in the foundation—one that goes well beyond the man under center.

Georgia Bulldogs isn’t losing sleep because of QB play; it’s the trenches and tailbacks that should be the concern. As former Bulldogs legend David Pollack pointed out, “This is a team that’s breaking in a bunch of new components, the interior of that offensive line, guard, center guard, they all got drafted.” And that reality has a domino effect on everything else. Pollack emphasized what’s being missed in the national commentary:

“I think Gunner’s a really good player. I think he’s got a really, really good arm. I would love to see him continue to grow and get better at the intermediate. He’s got a big wind-up. It’s coming out, and I’d like to see some of these things that I’ve only saw a small sample size, but… I’m 100% sure if you’re not going to give him a running game, it’s going to be a tough season for the Georgia offense.” Still, the narrative machine keeps humming. Paul Finebaum, never shy with a take, used his ESPN perch to call Gunner Stockton “underwhelming” in the Bulldogs’ 23-10 loss to Notre Dame.

And on “First Take,” he doubled down: “Kirby Smart needs to bounce back, but I’m not sure it’s going to be easy because Gunner Stockton is not an elite quarterback. He’s serviceable, and that is about it.” It’s the kind of national soundbite that creates echoes, especially when Georgia’s standards are as sky-high as the recruiting budgets.

Kirby Smart, though sitting beachside at the SEC spring meetings in Miramar Beach, Florida, threw his full weight behind his passer. “I’m excited,” Smart told Finebaum. “Gunner got the message, man. He got the message. You did your job.” Whether that was coach-speak or controlled defiance, it sent a signal: this is still Stockton’s team to lead.

And Stockton? He may not be on X daily, but he heard it loud and clear. “Yeah, as anybody else,” Stockton said when asked if Finebaum’s comments lit a fire at the SEC Media Day. “It would be like me saying you’re a bad reporter. I don’t know if you’d get fueled by that.” The calm confidence might surprise those expecting fire and fury, but it speaks volumes about his wiring. He’s not rattled—he’s watching.

Even former Georgia QB Aaron Murray, now analyzing for SEC Network, has reevaluated his view. Murray said Stockton’s play in the SEC title game and the Sugar Bowl actually aged well on film. And like Pollack, he circled the dropped passes and lack of support as the real culprits. “As long as there’s not 50 million dang drops again,” he said, “the offense should be better.” The margin for error is microscopic. Blaming the QB is easy. Fixing the real problems? That’s where UGA’s 2025 fate will be decided.

More cautions for Kirby Smart’s UGA

As Georgia gears up to chase another playoff berth, the calendar isn’t doing them any favors. Between rebuilding an OL and answering loud questions about Gunner Stockton, Kirby Smart also has to brace for two hostile road trips—and at least one of them, says Pollack, could be a landmine in waiting.

On See Ball Get Ball, Pollack didn’t mince words about the danger zones. “Here’s where I see a potential problem,” he said. “You got at Tennessee, at Auburn. Like both of those teams, really good teams, really good atmospheres. I think one of those are going to be really, really tough to get.” For a team that’s grown accustomed to manhandling most of the SEC, it was a rare crack in the confidence armor.

Pollack’s concern isn’t unwarranted. Jordan-Hare can swallow quarterbacks whole, and Neyland’s decibel levels could rattle anyone not locked in. While Auburn hasn’t beaten Georgia since 2017—back in the Gus Malzahn days—Hugh Freeze’s squad is due for a signature win, and playing spoiler at home would be poetic.

Freeze is still searching for his first win over either Alabama or Georgia as Auburn’s head coach (0-4). In a season loaded with pressure, noise, and razor-thin margins, if Georgia slips this year. It won’t just be because of the QB; it’ll be because the warning signs were there, and not enough people listened.