Georgia will have a new full-time starting quarterback entering the 2025 season. And per ESPN’s David Hale, the newness at the position pushes the Georgia quarterback situation further down the ranking hierarchy entering the upcoming season.

Hale placed the Georgia quarterback situation in his sixth tier. Notably, former Georgia quarterback Carson Beck, the projected starter at Miami, was ranked in Hale’s second tier of quarterback.

As for why the lower tier for Georgia’s situation, it stems largely from Gunner Stockton being an unknown entity.

“After three years as a backup, Stockton drove his 1984 F-150 onto center stage in last season’s Sugar Bowl, and while he ended up on the losing end, he played well enough for Georgia to feel comfortable handing him the offense in 2025," Hale wrote.

Stockton, and backup Ryan Puglisi, were lumped in alongside Ole Miss, Alabama and Oregon in Hale’s rankings.

The projected starters at each of those schools — Austin Simmons for Ole Miss, Ty Simpson at Alabama and Dante Moore at Oregon — have all had to wait their turn to break into the starting lineup. All four schools also figure to be in competition for a College Football Playoff berth.

While Stockton and company may not be as exciting as Arch Manning and DJ Lagway, who Hale had in the 1b tier along with Beck, they’ve all still got plenty of potential.

“These guys know the system, know the locker room, and they are ready for their moment in the spotlight,” Hale wrote of Stockton’s tier.

This will be Stockton’s fourth fall at Georgia. He already has starting experience, coming in the loss against Notre Dame.

Stockton completed 20 of his 32 pass attempts for 234 yards. He had a touchdown and a fumble in the loss for Georgia.

During Georgia’s spring game, Stockton took the majority of first-team reps at the quarterback position, with Puglisi largely working with the second-team.

While Smart has not yet named a starting quarterback, Stockton’s experience, though limited, is a big differentiator between the two.

“They’re both great kids who have a great relationship with each other,” Smart said after G-Day. “And we’re very lucky to have two guys that care so much about Georgia. And they’re not worried about the perception or whatever you’re gonna write coming out of the scrimmage of your view of them. They don’t care. They care about the team, and that’s what I care about.”

All signs point to Stockton eventually winning the starting quarterback job for Georgia. To this point in his college career, he’s got just 83 career pass attempts. Most of those though have come against Texas and Notre Dame, two teams that played in the College Football Playoff semifinals last season.

Georgia will open the season against Marshall before facing Austin Peay during the second week of the season. That should give Stockton a chance to show what he can do against lesser defenses and help better instill confidence in his abilities to lead the Georgia offense.