Gunner Stockton’s slide in the Heisman Trophy odds might say more about Georgia’s priorities than anything he did on the field.
Before the season, Vegas had Stockton inside the top 10 in Heisman odds. After one week, FanDuel Sportsbook has him sitting with the 16th-best odds to win the award. That drop came even though Stockton was sharp in Georgia’s Week 1 win over Tennessee State.
He completed 15 of 16 passes for 202 yards and three touchdowns in just five drives before spending the rest of the game on the bench. Georgia pulled him early to protect him, not to chase numbers.
Kirby Smart could have left Stockton in long enough to stack more yards and touchdowns, but Georgia chose the safer path. The idea was simple: avoid unnecessary injury risk rather than pad a stat line. That decision may have cost Stockton a better Heisman position, especially with other quarterbacks around the country logging full games and piling up bigger totals.
For Georgia, though, the equation is different. Winning a Heisman isn’t the goal.
Winning a national championship is. And while that sounds obvious, plenty of programs operate with a different mindset, keeping their quarterbacks and other top players on the field as long as possible to boost award credentials.
Georgia did the opposite. The Bulldogs pulled their starters before halftime because they wanted extra rest and less wear and tear.
If Stockton had stayed in against Tennessee State, he realistically could have pushed past 500 passing yards and reached five touchdowns. Georgia wasn’t interested in that route.
The Bulldogs also kept him from running the ball at all. That matters because Stockton’s legs are part of what makes him dangerous, but they also raise the injury risk. Against Tennessee State, Georgia didn’t need that part of his game to secure the win, so they kept him in the pocket and out of harm’s way.
Stockton still has time to climb back into the Heisman race. He finished seventh in voting last season, and there’s still a path for him to end up there again or even higher. Winning the award may be a long shot, but if Georgia ends the year with a national title, the Heisman probably won’t matter much - likely not even to Stockton himself.
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Sean McVays comments afterward made clear the job is still something the Rams are sorting through, not something that has been handed out for good. The team wants to develop both quarterbacks, which leaves Bennett in a spot Georgia fans know well: on the doorstep of a bigger role, but still needing to hold it off as the season unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
Georgias Rare Uniform Move Just Made This Game Feel Different
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Elyiss Williams said hes looking forward to the atmosphere the uniforms will create, which makes sense because Georgia has always understood that presentation matters when it comes to building energy around the program. The move also fits neatly with the schools push to market its Glory, Glory subscription service, giving the uniform reveal a business side as well as a football one, even if the lasting impact will come down to how the scene feels once the Bulldogs take the field. [Read more 🡒]