ATHENS - Brad White has spent enough time around Georgia football to know what usually travels with the Bulldogs: poise, toughness and a quarterback who doesn’t let one bad moment linger.
White, who was Kentucky’s defensive coordinator from 2018-2025 and is also a former Georgia walk-on, said Gunner Stockton gives off the same kind of steady presence he once saw from Stetson Bennett.
“He’s a winner, he’s tough,” White said. “I had to face Stetson Bennett for all those years, (he’s) very similar in terms of, just you know, nothing rattles them.”
White’s perspective carries weight. He turned down an opportunity to play at Yale in 2000 so he could join Georgia as a preferred walk-on, then transferred to Wake Forest after one season following Jim Donnan’s firing.
Now, he expects Stockton to respond the way a Georgia quarterback usually does after a rough day. Stockton had three turnovers in a 27-24 loss to Auburn, but White doesn’t see that carrying over into Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. matchup against Florida at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“You have no doubt that he’s going to be able to put that behind him, and everybody on that offense believes in him that he’s going to make the right decision,” White said. “That’s what you want as a QB.
“You can sense, when you watch the film, he takes a big hit, but he throws a deep ball down for a touchdown. The O-linemen all run and grab him.
He’s jumping up and down. They rally around him.
He can make all the throws.”
White also pointed out that Stockton’s value goes well beyond the passing numbers. His quarterback efficiency ranks second in the nation, but White thinks the run game is a big part of what makes him so difficult to handle.
“I don’t think people give him enough credit for how good he is with his legs, like how many plays he makes,” White said. “He really comes alive in the red zone, short-yardage situations. If you don’t do a good job with the pocket, he’ll be able to scramble and make some things happen.”
White saw that up close last season when Stockton scored Georgia’s first two touchdowns in a 35-14 win over Kentucky on runs of 7 and 6 yards.
And Stockton is hardly the only problem on offense. White also singled out the Bulldogs’ backs, tight ends and receivers, saying the talent shows up on every level of the formation.
“You look at (Dwight) Phillips and (Nate) Frazier … and then you look at that tight end group and the wide receivers don’t get enough credit for how talented they are,” White said. “We faced Texas last week, and they’ve got sort of known-named receivers.
I don’t think people quite know the names yet (at Georgia) but they will - they’re talented, they’re fast, they’re all willing to block, they understand the scheme …. And they go deep.”
Georgia’s size up front is part of what makes the whole thing hum. White noted that the Bulldogs’ offensive line has helped them climb to No. 2 nationally in yards per carry.
The tight ends, in his view, are a major reason why the Bulldogs can keep defenses guessing.
“Depending on some of the personnel sets they get in, you can’t play small (with extra defensive backs),” White said. “We talked about their tight end group, they’re big, they’re athletic, they create some mismatches.
“So you know they play heavy in 12 (two tight ends), and they get into 13 (three tight end) personnel, and so it’s hard to play with a small nickle (defensive back). They’ll just road grade you, so you got to get big to match them.”
White’s Kentucky defenses gave Georgia trouble more than once. In the last six meetings, they held the Bulldogs under 17 points three times, including a 13-12 Georgia win in 2024.
This week, though, White is focused on his own side of the ball and on the Florida defense he wants to keep growing.
“Obviously, the Florida-Georgia game is huge, it’s different, and so, yes, do I want to win? Absolutely,” White said.
“That’s one of the few teams in this league that I have not had a chance to put one in the W mark. So that’s a huge deal.
“But it’s not about me, and I just want this defense to continue to grow because I know what the can be - I want everybody to see what they can be…more than anything, I want for them to have one of those performances.”
In Other News...
Georgia Faces A Florida Worry Fans Didn't Want This Week
Georgias official injury report for the Florida game brought a little more uncertainty into a rivalry week that already had plenty of it. The Bulldogs listed six players with varying statuses, and the biggest concern is in the secondary, where safety KJ Bolden is questionable because of a lower right leg injury. Wide receiver Isiah Canion and running back Chauncey Bowens are also listed as questionable, leaving Georgia with a few moving parts to sort through before kickoff.
The list of players ruled out is equally notable, with safety Tyriq Green, outside linebacker Amaris Williams and wide receiver Thomas Blackshear all unavailable. It adds another layer to a game where availability could matter on both sides, especially since Florida also has questions at quarterback with Aaron Philo and Tramell Jones Jr. listed as questionable. For Georgia, the issue now is not just preparing for Florida, but waiting to see how much of its own depth will actually be available. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Heads Into Florida With A Secondary Concern Fans Will Notice
Georgias secondary is worth watching as the Bulldogs head into the Florida matchup, with the SEC availability report listing safety KJ Bolden as questionable after he sat out the previous game. In his place, JaMarley Riddle made the start, and that kind of late-week uncertainty is the sort of detail Georgia fans tend to monitor closely when the schedule tightens and every snap in the defensive backfield matters.
Kirby Smart also offered updates on several other players, including Kyron Jones, Chauncey Bowens, Isiah Canion and the Auburn transfer Williams, giving the injury picture a little more shape without fully clearing it up. Florida had its own quarterback questions, with Aaron Philo and Tramell Jones both listed as questionable heading into the game against Georgia, leaving a little extra uncertainty on both sides before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Knows This Florida Matchup Could Get Uncomfortable Fast
Buster Faulkner brings an unusual familiarity to this Florida-Gaorgia meeting, and Georgia has reason to pay attention. Before becoming Floridas offensive coordinator, Faulkner spent time at both Georgia Tech and Georgia, learning the rhythms of a program that has spent the past several years defending at the highest level and helping build national championship teams.
The Bulldogs did beat Georgia Tech every time Faulkner was on the staff there, but those games were not always straightforward, which is part of why this matchup carries some intrigue. Florida can use whatever insight Faulkner has into Georgias coaching style and defensive tendencies to shape its plan, and for Georgia, that means a game already loaded with pressure could get uncomfortable in a hurry if the Gators find the right answers early. [Read more 🡒]