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The Georgia football program is currently preparing for the upcoming 2025 college football season, in which they will look to bounce back from last year's playoff disappointment against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The Bulldogs are expected to trot out Gunner Stockton as their quarterback this season, who took over for Carson Beck after his injury in 2024-25.
One person who has not been shy about his lack of belief in Stockton is none other than ESPN college football insider Paul Finebaum, who has made this opinion known during media appearances throughout this offseason, much to the chagrin of head coach Kirby Smart.
Recently, Stockton responded to the criticism during his press availability at SEC media day.
“I’m not a big social media guy,” Gunner Stockton said. “Yeah [it was on ESPN]. Seeing your coach kind of defend you makes you feel good, but I’m not really worried about what people say. So, just ready for the season. Can’t wait,” said Stockton, per Dan Morrison of On3 Sports.
Finebaum had previously opined that “Gunner Stockton is not an elite quarterback. He’s serviceable and that is about it.”
Meanwhile, Smart had nothing but praise for how Stockton was able to fill in for Carson Beck midway through the SEC Championship, which Georgia won over Texas.
“You just don’t ever know when your number is going to be called. The one thing that I really appreciate about Gunner, and most quarterbacks, is he prepared every game as if he was the starter. And people can say that and say this, coach speak, but he actually did it. He went in, watched extra tape, and he knew that, at any point in time, he could be called on that to go in the game and play,” Smart said.
Georgia has not won a playoff game since they last hoisted the National Championship trophy at the conclusion of the 2022-23 season, which they finished 15-0.
The Bulldogs are hoping that this year they will be able to win their third championship of the Smart era and prove the skeptics, including Paul Finebaum, wrong about Stockton's abilities.
