The Georgia Bulldogs seem to have their work cut out for them. Former QB Carson Beck pulled a shocker this season after deciding to enter the transfer portal after having declared for the NFL draft earlier. But now that he seems to make merry with the Miami Hurricanes, things at Georgia seem to be in limbo during spring practice. More particularly, things seem to be in the gray area for quarterback hopeful Gunner Stockton.

In the 2024 SEC championship game, Beck injured his shoulder and was sidelined. And the backup quarterback was no longer a backup. That one game forced Beck to end his season prematurely after requiring surgery. Stockton helped the Dawgs clinch the title that night. Beck might no longer be with Georgia, but he certainly left some standards that Gunner Stockton is expected to meet. But as spring practice is in full swing, one cannot help but compare the two quarterbacks.

Center Jared Wilson told Dawgnation how he thinks the two are different. He expressed his love for Gunner before putting in some words for Beck. “I definitely hated seeing Carson go down and never want to see a teammate go down and get hurt.” Wilson also said that Beck was going through “mental battles.” “Once Gunner came to that game, it brought a little extra juice to the team. It was great.”

Other teammates have also noticed a difference between the two, according to Dawgnation. “If I come in complaining, other people are going to feel the need to complain. But if you come in being positive, it just rubs off on other people,” said Arian Smith. Stockton has a quiet demeanor, according to his team. CBS Sports quoted coach Kirby Smart saying, “He’s not much of a talker.” Stockton thinks of himself as “boring,” reports ESPN. But it’s also something about himself he “prides” on.

He also lauded Gunner Stockton for his performance, especially after “getting thrown out there” out of the blue. “I have no worries. I think he’s going to be a great quarterback,” he said, supporting Stockton for the position. Kirby Smart, meanwhile, must feel pressed to pick his quarterback for the season. The race comes down to two hopefuls, Stockton and Ryan Puglisi. The former lacks experience, and both will have to fill in the huge shoes of Carson Beck as Georgia’s quarterback. Whoever lands the position will be tasked with leading the team into championships and bowl games.

Despite having played notably only against Texas and then leading the team in a loss against Notre Dame in the CFP, he has come out well. Spanning these two games, Stockton completed 32 of 48 pass attempts for 305 yards. And these are far too few stats to judge as to how Stockton would fare for the team, who has just begun his college career.

Gunner Stockton is still not a sure-fire pick for QB

Despite this, Stockton seemed to have performed inadequately at Georgia’s spring practice. He failed to make a mark, and the experience factor is also a factor that can affect his chances of taking Beck’s place in the team. Analyst Dean Legge of UGA Football on Dawg witnessed his game during practice and said that he had problems with the deep ball. He said that he’s better with balls at the line of scrimmage. Greg McElroy told CBS Sports that Stockton doesn’t have “as big as an arm as Carson.” Against Notre Dame, Stockton recorded 20-of-32 passing for 234 yards, a touchdown, and four sacks.

However, Smart is all praise about Stockton. He said at the UGA Press Conference yesterday, “He’s a tough kid that loves football; loves his teammates. You’re not going to get the rah-rah out of Stockton… He’s got a lot of knowledge of our system. I think that kinda resonates with other players. They kinda rally around Gunner because they’ve got a lot of respect for him.”

Stockton is undoubtedly a favorite for Dawgs fans to lead the offense. He’s not really a rookie, but he is one at the same time. Smart will truly have to test everything this man can give while playing for the position after Georgia’s setbacks last season.