Happy Tuesday! We are officially under 40 days from the start of the college football season.
Georgia fans aren’t the only ones looking forward to the upcoming season, as the players are very ready to put the offseason, and talking season, behind them.
While at SEC Media Days, DawgNation caught up with quarterback Gunner Stockton for a one-on-one interview. The Georgia quarterback touched on a number of topics, most of which will be featured in our newsletter today.
Stockton isn’t much of a talker, but from being around him over the years, you could tell he made a real effort to be more outgoing in Tampa. Ultimately, that doesn’t mean much for those inside the Georgia locker room, as players love his usual calm and friendly demeanor.
Because when it comes time to strap on the pads, they know Stockton has the dog in him.
Gunner Stockton has strong praise for new WR
Georgia only brought in one transfer wide receiver this offseason in Georgia Tech transfer Isiah Canion.
I did find it notable that both Stockton and center Drew Bobo made sure to rave about what Canion brings to the offense.
Not every transfer receiver the Bulldogs have added has worked out, but there’s reason to believe Canion is going to play a very big role for Georgia this season.
“He is pretty special in pads,” Stockton told DawgNation at SEC Media Days. “He looks awesome. But he’s done a great job of, you know, working and doing everything in the offseason. If it’s, you know, when it’s winter workouts, then it goes to spring. Like, he had a great spring, and just the work he’s been putting into it. And, you know, he’s buying into the culture. You’d think he’s been here for three years or two years. But he’s a great guy to go in and work with every day.”
At 6-foot-4, Canion seems like a natural replacement for Colbie Young. The current Cincinnati Bengal was leading Georgia in receiving at the time of his injury against Ole Miss, paving the way for Georgia to lean heavily on Zachariah Branch.
Canion caught 33 passes for 480 yards and 4 touchdowns a season ago. With all Georgia has to replace in the wide receiver room, Georgia is going to need Canion to smash through those numbers.
Read the full story to learn more.
Health is a priority for Gunner Stockton
Stockton knows he’s going to get banged up with the way he plays.
He dealt with an oblique injury in the middle of last season. That didn’t slow him down against Ole Miss and Texas, but it’s hard to argue that the hits Stockton incurred didn’t have a cumulative effect come the end of the season.
Having a full season of starting experience and violent collisions under his belt, the Georgia quarterback now possesses a much better understanding of where is body needs to be in order to thrive.
Entering the upcoming season, Stockton likes where he’s gotten his body and mind.
“I think truly just going through a whole season and knowing the wear and tear of a season, what your body can get down to,” Stockton said. “So I’m just trying to get my body in the right, going into the season in the right, what it needs to be and trying to just set myself up for success.”
Given the uncertainty with the backup situation, it’s even more imperative that Stockton makes sure he’s in tiptop shape. The other quarterbacks on Georgia’s roster have thrown a combined 28 passes.
For more on Stockton, check out Mike Griffith and Cody Chaffin’s discussion on the Georgia QB.
Trivia time
Who caught Gunner Stockton’s first touchdown pass?
Georgia learns its SEC basketball schedule
The SEC announced all Saturday matchups and “Tuesday/Wednesday” designations for all men’s college basketball games for the 2026-27 season. The tip times, midweek game days and television network assignments for all 18 games will be released at a later date.
Georgia is set to play 9 conference foes that made the NCAA Tournament a year ago, including five at home: Texas (Jan. 5-6), Florida (Jan. 23), Vanderbilt (Feb. 9-10), Kentucky (Feb. 15-16) and Missouri (Feb. 27). The home schedule is rounded out with games against Oklahoma (Jan. 12-13), Mississippi State (Jan. 16), LSU (Jan. 30) and South Carolina in the regular-season finale on March 6.
The Bulldogs will open conference play on the road this year, visiting Ole Miss on Jan. 2. The other road games will be played at Auburn (Jan. 9), Arkansas (Jan. 19-20), Tennessee (Feb. 2-3), South Carolina (Feb. 6), Texas A&M (Feb. 13), Florida (Feb. 20), Oklahoma (Feb. 23-24) and close out with a trip to Alabama on March 2-3.
Georgia is coming off its second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, the program’s first back-to-back trips to the Big Dance since the 2001-02 seasons. The Bulldogs finished Mike White’s fourth year at the helm with a 22-11 overall record, including a 10-8 mark in SEC play.
Read the full story on the preseason All-SEC teams here.
Georgia are the king of the fourth quarter
Georgia wants to be a program that is at its best in the fourth quarter.
The data, compiled by Cody Nagel of CBS Sports, says Georgia has been that over the past five seasons.
Since the 2021 season, Georgia is 53-0 in games in which they have had a lead of at least seven points in the fourth quarter. While there are 17 other teams without a perfect mark, no team has as many wins in that span.
But Georgia is also the best when it comes to overcoming fourth quarter deficits as well
The Bulldogs have trailed in the fourth quarter by at least seven points nine times in the previous five seasons. Georgia has rallied to win four of those nine games, giving the Bulldogs a .444 winning percentage. That is the highest among all Power 4 programs.
Georgia accomplished the feat twice last season, rallying from a 9-point deficit against Ole Miss and an 8-point margin against Tennessee.
The Bulldogs will clearly want to do a better job of avoiding those types of games in this upcoming season. Georgia is comfortable in the fourth quarter, but it’s clearly better when playing from ahead.
Trivia answer
Lawson Luckie. He hauled in a 4-yard pass from Stockton in Georgia’s 63-3 win over Florida State
