David Pollack didn’t need much time to separate the SEC’s quarterback picture into two very different buckets.
On one side, the former Georgia star says he’d happily back Gunner Stockton. On the other, he wants no part of Arch Manning.
Pollack, who spent nearly two decades analyzing college football after a decorated playing career at Georgia, made it clear where he stands when it comes to the league’s passers. On Stockton, he was bluntly positive.
"This year, with that squad-- he had a bad game there's no doubt... but I trust him to take care of the football. That [performance against Auburn] was more of an anomaly to me than anything."
That Auburn game was the one rough spot in an otherwise steady run. Stockton had thrown only two interceptions in 124 passing attempts before that matchup, then matched that total against Auburn and also lost a crucial fumble late, helping set up the Tigers’ winning drive.
Even with that stumble, Stockton still sits at the top of the SEC quarterback conversation in several key areas. He leads the conference in quarterback rating, is completing more than 74% of his throws, owns the SEC’s best yards-per-attempt mark at 9.9, and has 16 passing touchdowns, just one behind Kamario Taylor’s 17.
His overall body of work in 2025 has been strong as well: 2,894 passing yards, 24 touchdowns and only five interceptions. And despite Georgia’s loss last week, Pollack’s confidence in Stockton fits the bigger picture - the Bulldogs, with Stockton steering the offense, are likely headed back to the College Football Playoff.
Pollack was far less generous when the discussion turned to Texas quarterback Arch Manning.
"There's no world, there's no situation, there's nothing period that you can sell me... that I would buy Arch Manning," said Pollack, "I'm assuming the value is as low as it's going to get. Just remember, we were talking about Heisman Trophy for Arch Manning, so the fact that we're sitting here and now we're discussing whether he should be benched, I'm not sure it can go any lower."
Manning’s second full season as a starter has not matched the expectations around him. He ranks ninth among 15 qualifying SEC quarterbacks in QB rating, sits 12th in the league with 1,295 passing yards, and has just 11 touchdown passes, which puts him ninth in the conference.
The numbers tell part of the story, but Pollack’s criticism also centered on the spots that matter most. Manning has not delivered his best in big games, and the only time he has topped 300 passing yards came in the opener against Texas State. His 7.8 yards per pass attempt has been modest, and in his last three games he has thrown three interceptions against four touchdowns.
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