Carson Beck Catches Strays in Gunner Stockton Revelation as Kirby Smart’s Georgia Woes See New Twist

Gunner Stockton or Carson Beck: This debate settled down a while back. Following an awful season riddled with injury and interceptions, Beck moved to Miami for his next stint. Even after desperately batting for Beck throughout, Kirby Smart had to make an alternative call. Gunner Stockton turned out to be the next guy under the center. He got to prove his potential in the postseason bowl game against Notre Dame. However, the Rabun County High product failed to impress. Despite the scorecard reflecting 20-of-32 passing for 234 yards and a touchdown, Stockton failed to save the game. He fell to a last-minute fumble-inducing blindside, leading to a game-winning TD for the opponents. The pressure is intense, making the game more challenging for the starter. But now, Stockton seems like a weapon rather than an untasted threat.

“This year’s Georgia will be better than last year’s Georgia. So what Richie is saying around Zachariah Branch being a baller this year, we’re here for that. Gunner Stockton and how he operates, we’re here for that,” ON3’s JD Pickell came clean on a sky-rocketed expectation that the Bulldogs face head-on this year. Stockton is widely seen as a make-or-break guy. While veterans like Paul Finebaum cast doubt on his ability to do better than Beck, JD sees a much-needed silver lining.

“This Georgia team, I just, I like, the way that they are wired from what I can gauge right now in the spring, relative to what they were last year,” the analyst added. Spring certainly looks as promising as the pressure demands. Stockton remains the watch-out guy for the Dawgs. He has significantly turned heads with an eye-popping third-down conversion to tight end Lawson Luckie on G-Day. Although the growth continues to be the core of his performance, the increase in confidence was not overlooked.

Coach Smart looks really convinced of Stockton’s deep understanding of the offense. But remember, JD’s last year’s hype came out hollow. “I picked Georgia to win a national championship; clearly that was not the case. But I think that this Georgia team, they just have more of an edge to them. It’s one of those things that’s a little bit undefinable, but to try to explain, it’s kind of like that psychopath trait we talk about on this show where you could be in the eye of a hurricane, and you’re able to block everything else out nothing else really affects you.”

Pickell believes that Kirby Smart has that maniac instinct in him that carried the team to the SEC Championship last year. But somehow, he pointed at Carson Beck and the others in the 2024 squad for not aligning with their coach’s signature mindset. But this year, Gunner Stockton closes the gap. “He does that at a high level better than anybody else in the sport right now, so make that clear. But it’s another thing to have it be from the player to the rest of the team with the psychopath trait. I think that right now, with Georgia, there is no better embodiment of that psychopathic trait than Gunnar Stockton.”

“Dude was out on the field in Atlanta, pops up, gets off the field like that’s the guy playing quarterback for you here in 2025,” Pickell justified his claim. However, Gunner Stockton didn’t hold back giving his predecessor, the former UGA signal caller, the due credit for showing him the path. Right after Beck’s departure, the news went viral. Stockton admitted that he had been watching tape of Beck, as the new Georgia quarterback’s mission was to take the reins from him and deliver even better.

He has that chip on his shoulder to do better than Beck ever did. But judging him with one year of misery won’t be a great idea for anyone looking to follow in his footsteps. “Yeah, I think there are a lot of good things from Carson,” Stockton noted. “Like I watched last night, I’ve been working on getting my footwork and everything honed in, and he has really good footwork.” Now, it’s not just Stockton who’s leading the conversation at Athens this year, but bet some money on the Running Back room as well.

Trevor Etienne’s 320 lbs replacement smokes hope 

Throughout the season, we saw Trevor Etienne putting on an incredible performance for an otherwise loose-fitting offense. The RB capped his season off with 609 rushing yards despite missing a few games for a rib injury. But now comes the sad part. The running back, however, has gone for good to chase his pro dream. The question it begs: who’s the next to take the chair?

Analyst Cody Bellaire had an answer. The On3 journalist noted that there may be a player who can ultimately become the leader of the offense. “I think the former five-star (Monroe Freeling) has to make an impact this year for Georgia… You’re bringing in new weapons at receiver, Trevor is gone…,” Cody said, “You have to be the guy that sets the tone for this offense, and you have to develop faster than maybe you want to or think. You should be given the time to, and it has to happen right now. Hopefully, last year was a baptism by fire, and he’s (Monroe Freeling) ready to go once the injury heals.”

He couldn’t do much in the 2023 season as a backup, and a grave shoulder injury cost him most of 2024 as well. He might not look like a finished product. But with a little experience, he can really tap into a lot of hidden potential that can pay a pivot in the success of a Stockton-led offense.

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