ATHENS \u2014 A year ago, Gunner Stockton was a question mark for this Georgia team.<\/p>\n
Entering 2026, he\u2019s viewed as one of the top quarterbacks in the sport. <\/a><\/p>\n Brad Crawford of CBS Sports ranked every Power Four quarterback entering the 2026 season. While Crawford did not have Stockton atop the rankings, or even first among SEC quarterbacks, his No. 7 overall ranking demonstrates that the Bulldogs could do a lot worse at the quarterback position.<\/p>\n \u201cUltracompetitive as a durable, throwback sort of signal-caller, Stockton\u2019s play last fall led to a conference championship and top-four seed in the CFP with the Bulldogs,\u201d Crawford said.<\/a> \u201cHis 84.9 QBR was sixth-best nationally and he managed five wins as a first-year starter against ranked teams, including Texas, Georgia Tech and Alabama in the SEC Championship Game. Stockton\u2019s 10 rushing touchdowns led the team.\u201d<\/p>\n Among SEC quarterbacks, Crawford had Stockton ranked third behind Arch Manning of Texas and Trinidad Chambliss of Ole Miss. Stockton beat Manning and Chambliss last season, with Stockton accounting for five touchdowns in the two wins. <\/p>\n But Chambliss outdueled Stockton in the College Football Playoff, which led to a season-ending loss for the Bulldogs. <\/p>\n That loss still lingers for Stockton this spring. <\/p>\n \u201cIt definitely left a bad taste,\u201d Stockton said of the second Ole Miss game. \u201cAnd just try not to let that happen and do our best to make it not happen.\u201d<\/p>\n This is the fifth spring practice that Stockton has been with the Bulldogs. He doesn\u2019t have much more to prove during this time of year<\/a>, as the Georgia quarterback will ultimately be judged by how he plays at the end of the season. <\/p>\n