When it comes to the 2026 chapter, Kirby Smart comes off as a dark horse. The Georgia Bulldogs’ head coach might be seen as a threat when it comes to the recruiting trail victories. Their 2026 class is going on turbo mode as they hold the No.4 rank with the 22 total recruits locked in this far. Out of this, 14 are in-state commitments. Before you tap into the Smart craze, it’s high time you realize that to step into 2026, he needs to sail through the 2025 season, which is filled with sharp bends. 

Already, the analysts have spotted red flags. Courtesy? Their quarterback situation. With Carson Beck gone to Miami, Gunner Stockton is likely to don the starting quarterback role. That’s when George Wrighster shared, “Oh, everybody’s screaming, ‘Gunner Stockton, what is he going to be?’ He’s a liability.” Last season, Stockton started only once, in the Sugar Bowl loss, where he threw for 234 yards and a touchdown. If that’s not enough wake-up call for Smart here comes some more.

 On the June 26 episode of The Next Round podcast, analyst Max Chadwick further stirred Smart’s quarterback’s pot. “It’s tough. It’s really hard because we base so much of what our opinions are here at PFF, based of what we’ve seen before, right? So you know there are some projections into it, right? You always look at recruiting rankings too and how guys were rated coming out of high school, but I for one wasn’t that impressed by Gunner Stockton.” Stockton’s unassuming persona paints the picture befitting of a good ol’ country boy from the foothills of Appalachia, thrust suddenly into the spotlight as Georgia’s new starting quarterback. His boyish charm and constant smile drew people in, but he might not be the ideal one to fill in Beck’s shoes. 

On that note, Chadwick came up with a bitter reality check for Smart and his quarterback. “When he was out there, I actually know some Georgia fans might disagree with this, I think it’s a significant downgrade going from Carson Beck to Gunner Stockton. So if they really did force him out the door like some people think they did, Carson Beck, I think it’s a major mistake by Georgia.” With Beck unable to lift his throwing arm because of a substantial elbow injury, Stockton led the Bulldogs on three scoring drives. Yet doubts prevailed that Stockton’s arm is not as big as Smart’s former quarterback’s. There are also more factors that cast doubts on Stockton that lead the ESPN analyst to be brutally honest about Smart’s prospective QB1.

Paul Finebaum is not sold on Gunner Stockton leading the pack

Stockton isn’t a former five-star. Neither does the quarterback fit into the 6-foot-4 and 200-pound quarterback criteria. On top of that, there isn’t much to go off of when it comes to evaluating Stockton’s game outside of those two performances. So, the SEC Network analyst Paul Finebaum failed to instill any confidence in Stockton. He did not mince his words before sharing, “I’m not confident in Gunner Stockton.”

“I sat with Kirby a couple of weeks ago, and he acted like he was, but I’d like to give him a lie detector test. Carson Beck had his faults, but I’d much rather have him than Gunner Stockton,” added Finebaum. Now, Stockton catching side eyes from Finebaum is not something new. Back in May, he shared, “I know the team coalesced around him after the SEC Championship Game. But I was underwhelmed by what I saw from Gunner Stockton in the Sugar Bowl loss to Notre Dame. Kirby Smart has been steadfast in his support. He really doesn’t have another option until next year when the top recruit in the country comes in. So I’m not happy with what I see [with Georgia].” However, amidst all the doubt, Smart continues to be Stockton’s biggest hypeman. 

While Paul Finebaum cooked some fresh fear for the quarterback, Kirby Smart came with a sarcastic reply in support of Gunner Stockton. “I’m excited. Gunner got the message, man.” But what makes Smart count on Carson Beck’s successor?  Stockton is more willing to escape the pocket when things break down as compared to his predecessor. Plus, Stockton was Georgia’s quarterback for six quarters last season, and in those six quarters, UGA’s wide receivers only had one drop. Will Stockton make the haters eat their words?