Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton ranked among nation’s best

After entering this past season as a question mark, Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton enters his second year as a starter, viewed among college football’s best.

ESPN’s Bill Connelly recently unveiled his Power-Four quarterback rankings before the start of spring practice. Of the 68 quarterbacks, Stockton ranked No. 8, behind CJ Carr, Julian Sayin, Trinidad Chambliss, Arch Manning, Jayden Maiava, Dante Moore, and Drew Mestemaker.

Connelly lauded Stockton for his point guard-like play. Distributing the ball to his playmakers quickly and efficiently while minimizing turnovers.

Point Guard

“But Stockton is a damn point guard,” Connelly writes. “A whopping 38.6% of his passes were thrown at or behind the line of scrimmage, and only 13.7%, about 1 in 7, were 20-yarders. He distributes the ball quickly and accurately, over and over again, and Georgia won a second straight SEC title in 2025 despite ranking 131st nationally in yards per successful play.”

With a playmaker like Zachariah Branch, Georgia found its best success in the quick passing game. The USC transfer finished his lone season in Athens with a program record 81 receptions for 811 yards and six touchdowns, as he led all draft-eligible prospects in yards after the catch.

The reliance on the quick passing game – particularly screens – leads to criticisms about Georgia’s offense and Stockton heading into next season. Many of the quarterback’s critics point to his struggles over the middle of the field and the lack of a consistent deep passing game as reasons to be skeptical.

“Stockton basically operates the elite-team version of a service academy offense, always staying on schedule and rarely moving quickly,” Connelly writes. “And he occasionally seeks contact in the run game like a service academy, too. He’s great at what he does and infuriating to defend.”

Stockton finished last season with 2,894 yards passing with 24 touchdowns and just five interceptions while completing 69.7 percent of his passes. He also rushed for another 462 yards and 10 touchdowns while playing in 14 games.