Following an unsuccessful 2024 campaign, longtime Georgia quarterback Carson Beck entered the 2025 college football transfer portal. ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum believes the move, which made Gunner Stockton the incumbent starter, may hurt the team in 2025, despite the popular opinion of Bulldogs fans.

Finebaum predicted that while fans grew frustrated with Beck's declining performance, he is still “better” than Stockton. While the change of scenery gives such fans a reason for excitement, Finebaum sees a regression in store for the Stockton-led Bulldogs in 2025.

“Georgia fans were in some way fatigued with Carson [Beck] anyway,” Finebaum said, via On3 Sports' Pete Nakos. “They lost a better quarterback than the guy they have [Gunner Stockton].”

After his fourth season ended with an injury, Beck committed to Miami from the transfer portal. He is reportedly already on campus, as his girlfriend, social media star Hanna Cavinder, is a member of the Hurricanes' women's basketball team.

Finebaum also sees Beck performing better in Miami than he did with Georgia in 2024. The analyst attributed his lack of progression to his inability to adjust to the departure of star pass-catchers Ladd McConkey and Brock Bowers.

“[Beck] had so little to work with. The talent around him was so different than the year before — with Bowers and McConkey — that he just never could adapt and he just didn't look happy. Maybe just learning to drive a Lamborghini just really overwhelmed him.”

Georgia football's 2025 outlook after Carson Beck transfer

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Without Beck, the Bulldogs still have an offseason quarterback battle ahead of them, but Stockton will enter as the only experienced signal-caller. The former four-star recruit started for Georgia in lieu of Beck in the College Football Playoffs, leading them to a 23-10 loss to Notre Dame.

While Stockton has just two games under his belt, neither has been encouraging. He threw for 71 yards in the second half of the SEC Championship Game after Beck left with his injury and 234 yards in the College Football Playoffs. Through two seasons in Athens, Stockton has just three touchdowns and two interceptions to his name.

However, while Stockton is likely a downgrade from Beck as a passer, he provides a different element to the offense with his legs. He has yet to show much as a runner at Georgia but was recruited out of high school as a dual-threat quarterback. At 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds, he is a physical runner who is tough to bring down with above-average athleticism.

Ahead of the offseason, Stockton appears to be the only viable option on the team's roster. The Bulldogs did not recruit a quarterback from the transfer portal after Beck's departure. Scarcely used redshirt freshman Ryan Puglisi was listed as Stockton's backup for the Sugar Bowl against Notre Dame.