ATHENS - Gunner Stockton keeps stacking up the kinds of road wins that make a quarterback’s reputation stick.
On Saturday night at Alabama’s Bryant-Denny Stadium, Stockton helped push Georgia past the Crimson Tide and into the No. 1 spot, adding another signature chapter to what is becoming a very real road-warrior story. The Bulldogs are 6-0 overall and 4-0 in the SEC, and Stockton’s latest comeback effort only deepened the buzz around him.
This wasn’t new territory for him. Stockton has already authored comeback wins in Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium and at Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium last season, giving him a résumé built on hostile crowds and late-game poise. The setting in Tuscaloosa only added another layer.
For all the talk around the matchup, Stockton ended up being the one who delivered the jolt.
He finished 18-of-22 passing for 249 yards with a touchdown and a deflection that was intercepted, but the numbers only tell part of the story. Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said Stockton was especially sharp on third downs, going 9-of-10 for 104 yards in those situations.
“Yeah, I think Gunner Stockton was clutch,” DeBoer said, adding, “You know, (Stockton) moved the chains, and so many times his guys, you know, (were) making catches right down towards the ground there.”
DeBoer also praised the control Stockton showed under pressure. “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 kind of praise is notable considering the pregame chatter around Stockton’s future and how far his game has come. Some NFL circles have long viewed him as a strong college quarterback, but a former NFL scout said Monday that Stockton still didn’t carry an NFL draft grade entering the 2026 season.
Saturday’s performance, though, looked like the kind of outing that changes conversations. The scout pointed out that Stockton made throws pro quarterbacks are expected to make - the sort he hadn’t been asked to make before, or perhaps hadn’t needed to make, in Georgia’s offense.
Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo has helped guide that progression. In an exclusive interview with UGA’s NIL-content site, ‘Glory Glory,’ Bobo described Stockton as a player who keeps pushing forward instead of settling in.
“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.
“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 Stockton’s confidence has grown because of the work he’s done with coach Brandon Streeter and the film study that has helped him process the game faster. Even so, Bobo said the quarterback still has room to grow.
“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’s rise has also made him a point of conversation beyond Athens. He arrived at Georgia as a 4-star recruit and the No. 7 quarterback in the 2022 class, but his current production has him 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. Stockton’s place in Georgia football history is already secure in another way, too: he is the Peach State’s career total TD leader with 254 and career passing TD leader with 177.
That background makes the current surge feel even more striking.
Asked what goes through his mind in tense moments, Stockton kept the answer simple.
“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.”
Georgia will next play Auburn at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, with Stockton carrying all the momentum that came out of Tuscaloosa.
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