The debate around Gunner Stockton isn’t really as simple as whether he can throw the deep ball.
That’s the question that keeps getting asked as the 2026 college football season approaches, and it was front and center at SEC Media Days when Nick Saban put it plainly: “Can Gunner Stockton take the next step in terms of being more effective throwing the ball down the field?”
The numbers are the reason people keep circling back to it. In 2025, Stockton completed 42 passes of 20 or more yards, 17 passes of 30 or more yards, and four of 40 or more yards.
The top quarterbacks in the country more than doubled those totals. On paper, Stockton went 17-for-53 on throws traveling more than 20 yards in the air, which works out to 32.1 percent.
By comparison, he completed 66.7 percent of his passes between 10 and 19 yards.
But the film tells a different story than the raw stats do. When Stockton actually gets a chance to attack downfield, he can be dangerous. The bigger issue is that this hasn’t been just a Stockton problem.
Georgia’s receivers dropped 16 passes in 2025, a major improvement from the 36 drops the Bulldogs had in 2024, when they led the nation in that category and frustrated Carson Beck. Even so, six of those drops came on passes of 20 yards or more. That changes Stockton’s deep-ball completion rate to 43.4 percent, which looks a lot more respectable and closer to other SEC starters with a similar number of attempts.
There’s also the part that doesn’t show up neatly in the numbers: route-running. Stockton threw 109 passes that traveled less than 10 yards, and many of those were clearly check-downs because receivers weren’t getting open. Better coaching and more experienced receivers should help that picture in 2026.
Mike Bobo gets dragged into the conversation too, and it’s easy to see why. Stockton has 117 completions behind the line of scrimmage, which points to Bobo’s heavy use of the tunnel screen.
Still, the downfield play-calling itself doesn’t look like the real issue. Stockton attempted 53 passes that traveled more than 20 yards in the air, a number that fits with most SEC starters.
Only Ty Simpson, with 62, and Arch Manning, with 65, were clearly ahead of him.
So the problem isn’t simply that Bobo isn’t dialing up deep shots. He is. The bigger issue is execution, and that can involve Stockton, the receivers, or the protection in front of him.
That’s why the deep-ball conversation about Stockton needs a little more nuance. Yes, he missed on nearly 60 percent of those throws.
But that doesn’t mean he can’t make them. The comeback in Knoxville showed what he’s capable of, and so did the throw under pressure to Colbie Young against Ole Miss.
The real answer to Saban’s question may be less about Stockton alone and more about the offense around him. Georgia’s pass protection, route-running, hands, and Stockton’s own accuracy all have to come together.
That’s the next step. And it may decide whether Georgia is headed for another early playoff exit or a run at its third national title under Kirby Smart.
In Other News...
Jon Sumrall Just Gave Georgia Fans A Familiar Reason To Laugh
Floridas new coach is already trying to stir the pot in a rivalry that has long tilted hard in Georgias favor. Jon Sumrall made it clear where his attention is headed, putting Georgia at the center of his early message and suggesting the Gators need to treat the matchup with more urgency if they want the series to feel competitive again.
For Georgia fans, it is the kind of declaration that usually lands with a smile, because talk has not changed the balance of this rivalry in years. Sumrall also hinted that past Florida coaches may not have approached Georgia with enough seriousness, but the Bulldogs have heard versions of this before and will be waiting for the response on the field before treating any of it as more than offseason noise. [Read more 🡒]
Aaron Murray Sees One Clear Hurdle For Gunner Stockton
Gunner Stocktons first season as Georgias full-time starter gave the Bulldogs plenty to build on, from an 11-1 regular season to an SEC championship run. Even with the playoff ending short of the finish Georgia wanted, the bigger picture around Stockton is still about growth, and former Bulldogs quarterback Aaron Murray sees one area that could help the next step come quickly.
Murray pointed to Stocktons work throwing between the hashes, especially when the ball is going to tight ends, as the clear hurdle to clear. Georgia has the kind of tight end room that can help make that happen, and if Stockton sharpens that part of his game, it could go a long way toward pushing the Bulldogs back into national title contention while also strengthening his own profile moving forward. [Read more 🡒]