The Gunner Stockton experience went through its share of ups and downs in a matter of weeks for Georgia fans. Thrust into action in the SEC championship game, the backup QB held it together and steered the Bulldogs to the conference title. But then came the Notre Dame game, which wholly changed the dynamics of his hype for the 2025 season. The Sugar Bowl game exposed the weaknesses in a disappointing 10-23 thumping by the Irish. Although he completed 234 yards, a second-quarter fumble and a fourth-quarter interception didn’t help an offense struggling to get going late in the game. It’s natural to wonder if he’s ready to take on the QB1 duties for Kirby Smart’s team.

Michael W. Bratton and Cousin Shane discussed some of the issues concerning Stockton in their 24th June episode of ‘That SEC Football Podcast.’ While Shane acknowledged that there may be some concerns with Stockton, he still remained optimistic about Gunner’s ability to lead Georgia in 2025.

“Gunner, who just started the Notre Dame game. You could say they looked shaky in that game, which they did. They couldn’t really protect him, but they beat mighty Texas, and he had to be forced into action and play half the game, and he’s the one that won it for him in overtime, so you know there’s good and bad with him,” said Cousin Shane. And what’s more optimistic is that Gunner Stockton has experience with the big games last year, which prepared him for the task to come in 2025, even though Georgia lost the Sugar Bowl.

“I felt like Gunner had his little flashes, but man, he got really thrown into the fire. I mean, you talk about a high-pressure situation, this off-season is a blessing for this quarterback here, and the fact that he did get a little bit of experience reps, I think, would help as well,” remarked Shane.

There might have been some issues with Stockton last year that ranged from turnover issues to decision-making issues. But Mike Bobo’s offense wasn’t quite world-class either. For instance, through the whole season, they played without an X wide receiver and had ‘drop’ issues, with UGA leading the country in receiver drops. But this year? The offense is different with players like Colbie Young, Noah Thomas, and freshman CJ Wiley.

It’s also what tight end Oscar Delp remarked after the Notre Dame loss. “We didn’t help him out a lot… He made his plays, and he’s really special. Everyone saw a glimpse of what he can do. We didn’t help him out too much.” So, the Irish loss was not entirely on Gunner Stockton; it was a collective mistake, and by the looks of it, Gunner Stockton looks ready to lead in 2025. Still, for Georgia, that alone may not cut it for their 2025 season.

Kirby Smart and Gunner Stockton’s woes deepen with no takers even in the top 5 rankings

Confidence runs high this year in the Dawgs’ roster. They have pulled off a 2nd-ranked class and brought in transfers like Noah Thomas, Zachariah Branch, and Elo Modozie to address some of the woes they had last season. Despite these upgrades and Gunner Stockton’s progress, many analysts aren’t that optimistic about Kirby Smart in 2025.

George Wrighster, in his June 23rd podcast episode, made a list about the programs riding high for the 2025 season, and Kirby Smart’s Georgia wasn’t even in the top 5. The analyst ranked Georgia at 7th, a place where UGA hasn’t ever finished since Kirby Smart’s debut year. Wrighster provided his reasons, though, for his demotion of Kirby Smart’s Georgia.

“I know that we just saw two of the best teams in college football history win a national championship out of Georgia a couple of years ago, but that ain’t what this roster is. NIL and the transfer portal have made it so. Georgia, yes, their roster is excellent, but at the end of the day, the depth is not what it used to be, where you would bring in one five-star, ‘Oh, he’s tired, he gets hurt, bring in another one, bring in another NFL guy.’ Just an army of them, and now behind the NFL guy you got a young guy, and that’s the difference,” said Wrighster.

Depth concerns are some of the things that are not just a concern for Georgia. It is the same story for other programs, too, be it Ohio State, Texas, or Michigan. You just can’t build those Nick Saban teams with quality stacked in depth with NIL opportunities attached to the transfer portal. So, while depth may be a concern, it is universal, and if something is universal, then it surely evens out the field, right?