ATHENS - Gunner Stockton walked into Alabama’s biggest moments on Saturday night and left with his reputation sharpened again.
Georgia’s quarterback delivered the kind of performance that can change how a player is viewed, leading the Bulldogs to a 6-0 record and a No. 1 ranking with a road win at Bryant-Denny Stadium, where 100,077 packed in to watch the SEC showdown. It was another chapter in Stockton’s growing case as one of college football’s toughest road winners, following comeback victories in Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium and at Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium last season.
That track record has turned him into a player Georgia fans now view very differently than many outsiders did when he arrived as a 4-star recruit and the No. 7 quarterback in the 2022 class. Stockton also carries the distinction of being the Peach State’s career total TD leader with 254 and passing TD leader with 177, and his rise has prompted one of those what-if conversations that only feels possible after the fact: did Georgia fans ever imagine they would be glad Arch Manning chose Texas so Stockton could become the Bulldogs’ quarterback?
On Saturday, Stockton played like a quarterback who belonged in that conversation. He finished 18-of-22 for 249 yards with a touchdown, though a deflection also led to an interception. More importantly, he repeatedly delivered in the game’s biggest spots, going 9-of-10 for 104 yards on third downs against Alabama’s defense.
Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer didn’t hesitate when assessing what he saw.
“Yeah, I think Gunner Stockton was clutch,” said DeBoer, who’s considered to be a bit of a QB guru having coached up two first-round picks in Michael Penix Jr. and Ty Simpson, and one of the best young quarterbacks in the nation in Keelon Russell.
“You know, (Stockton) moved the chains, and so many times his guys, you know, (were) making catches right down towards the ground there.”
DeBoer added, “You gotta give him credit for those plays that he made,” DeBoer said. “He was in control, just extremely efficient. You know, that’s been the story of the season for him.”
That efficiency has become Stockton’s calling card, and it’s showing up in the numbers. He ranks third nationally in NCAA passing efficiency at 198.57, behind Miami QB Darian Mensah at 212.25 and Indiana QB Josh Hoover at 200.52.
There was a time when NFL industry talk framed Stockton as a strong college quarterback who didn’t have an NFL draft grade entering the 2026 season. A former NFL scout said Monday that Stockton made the kind of throws pro quarterbacks make that he hadn’t made before.
Or maybe, as Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo suggested, the quarterback just hadn’t been asked to do all of that yet.
“You see a guy that constantly prepares day-in and day-out, and sometimes you think, ‘man, maybe that guy has reached his ceiling and maybe that’s who he’s going to be, “ Bobo said in an exclusive interview with UGA’s NIL-content site, ‘Glory Glory.’
“But I’ve learned over the years that if guys continue to work and don’t think they know everything, and don’t think they have the answers, and go out every week and try to improve on how they can improve as a football player, they’re going to get better,” said Bobo, the play caller for the No. 2 scoring offense in the nation (46.2 points per game, behind Miami’s 49.6) and the SEC’s top third-down conversion offense (54.7%, sixth in the nation).
“Gunner is a perfect example of that, he’s constantly working to get better at his craft and getting better.”
Bobo said the quarterback’s progress is still ongoing, and that the work with coach Brandon Streeter and the film study are helping Stockton see the field more quickly and move through his reads faster. He also said there is still plenty of room for growth, even after the Alabama performance.
“I think the more he does day in and day out, the drills he does with coach (Brandon) Streeter, and the film work he does, has given him confidence to go out there and seeing things faster, and get through his progressions faster,” Bobo said. “But there’s still a lot of room for improvement.
“Playing in big ball games helps give you more confidence, and he definitely has confidence right now.”
Stockton kept his own answer simple when asked what he thinks about in pressure-packed moments.
“I look to the sideline to get to the next play,” Stockton said. “and just try to get the play and get to the next moment.
“I just try to be calm in the chaos.”
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