ESPN’s College GameDay was live from LSU on Saturday, and Gunner Stockton got left off the conversation before Georgia even kicked off its season.
In one of the show’s quarterback segments, GameDay highlighted eight passers set to open their seasons. Stockton wasn’t among them, despite what he already put on the board a year ago.
Last season, Stockton finished seventh in Heisman Trophy voting. Now he’s back for his second year as Georgia’s full-time starter on a Bulldogs team ranked No. 3 in the country, yet he still didn’t make the cut as one of the sport’s notable quarterbacks.
The list itself wasn’t the issue so much as who got excluded. All eight quarterbacks mentioned belonged in the discussion, but Stockton did too. If GameDay wanted to keep the graphic intact, the simpler move would have been to make it nine names instead of leaving him out.
Texas quarterback Arch Manning was one of the players included, and he’s been one of the most talked-about names of the offseason. But the comparison doesn’t exactly flatten Stockton.
Manning had just 200 more passing yards and two more touchdowns than Stockton last year, while Stockton’s Georgia team beat Texas, won the SEC and made the College Football Playoff. Texas, meanwhile, was home watching it all play out.
Manning absolutely belongs on the list. Stockton does too. If GameDay wasn’t going to give him that basic recognition, then maybe it should have skipped the quarterback segment altogether.
Still, Stockton has a chance to answer the noise quickly.
Georgia opens against Tennessee State, and the Bulldogs are favored by nearly 50 points. That sets the stage for a lopsided afternoon, and Stockton is expected to put up big numbers early.
The catch is that Kirby Smart usually pulls starters once things get out of hand, so Stockton will need to do his damage fast. Even so, he should have a shot at nearly 200 passing yards and a few touchdowns, whether through the air or on the ground.
That may not stack up neatly next to quarterbacks who play four full quarters this weekend, and box-score watchers could come away thinking Stockton did less. But if he takes care of business, he’ll be off and running toward another Heisman push.
And if attention never really comes his way? That probably won’t bother him much. Stockton’s priority is winning, and Georgia’s priority is team success.
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