ATHENS — Gunner Stockton’s biggest fan might just be the Georgia coach on the sideline wearing a visor.
Kirby Smart can’t say enough about his first-year starting quarterback, and it’s easy to understand why when one considers Stockton’s grit and clutch play this season.
A deeper dive into advanced metrics reveals Stockton has completed 87.5 percent of his passes thrown in the fourth quarter for 503 yards with six touchdowns and no interceptions.
Perhaps more impressive, Stockton has thrown for eight touchdowns with no interceptions when Georgia has been trailing in games, and he is 5-of-6 passing on fourth-down throws.
Pressure truly is a privilege for Stockton, a home-state player that any coach would appreciate — much less a fellow once-underrated, once-undersized UGA team captain.
“Huge scrambles, great throws on time, darts,” Smart said after Stockton was 12-of-12 passing for 135 yards and three touchdowns in Georgia’s come-from-behind 43-35 win over Ole Miss, a victory that long-time Rebels’ beat writer Neal McCready said “put the nail in the coffin” for Lane Kiffin’s tenure in Oxford, as the former Rebels’ coach realized he might not ever have enough in that position to beat Smart.
It’s fair to ask: Can anyone beat Stockton these days?
Georgia is a 7-point favorite to beat Ole Miss when the teams meet at 8 p.m. on Jan. 1 in the CFP Sugar Bowl quarterfinal in New Orleans.
Smart is 4-0 when playing an in-season rematch with wins over Auburn in the 2017 SEC championship game (28-7), Alabama in the 2021 season’s CFP championship game (33-18), Texas in the 2024 SEC championship game (22-19, OT) and most recently Alabama in the 2025 SEC championship game (28-7).
The Georgia head coach deflects the credit to staff and players, most notably, Stockton.
“He’s wired for these type of moments,” Smart said, “because he’s tough and his team believes in him.”
Former Georgia All-American and College Football Hall of Famer David Pollack recently stoked Smart’s passion for Stockton in a “See Ball, Get Ball” podcast interview, hyping Stockton’s often-fearless running style.
“Unbelievable toughness,” Smart told Pollack.
Smart correctly declared Stockton “a winner” after the former Rabun County standout came off the bench at halftime of the 2024 SEC title game down 6-3 and helped orchestrate a comeback in the win over Texas.
Then, like now, Stockton’s scrambling skills played a factor.
“He knows where that marker is every time,” Smart said, “and he’s going to do everything in his power, if it means running through a brick wall, taking the hardest lick.”
Stockton, on his runs this season in third-and-3 or less situations, has gained enough for a first down 13 of those 17 occasions.
And on the four occasions Stockton has carried the ball on fourth down? Four first downs.
There was some concern that Stockton’s running style might expose him to too many hits to endure an SEC season.
Smart said the Georgia coaching staff is constantly reminding Stockton that it’s ok to slide once he gains the first down, and to some extent, his quarterback has listened.
“He jumps forward and throws his head out there, and we have had to talk to him about sliding intentionally once he gets the first down …. ,” Smart said. “It’s really smart to slide once you get the first down, because we don’t need him taking those hits.”
For Stockton, who rarely acknowledges more in his interviews than “it’s like living a dream” for him this season, it has been a case of doing what’s necessary to win.
Here’s a look at how Stockton has fared in his head-to-head duals with other elite SEC quarterbacks, including Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who finished one spot behind him (eighth) in the Heisman Trophy voting and will oppose UGA in the Sugar Bowl:
Georgia 44, Tennessee 41 (OT)
Stockton 23-31, 304, 2 TDs, 0 Ints; 38 rushing, TD
Joey Aguilar 24-36, 371, 4 TDs, 2 Ints; -8 rushing, TD
Alabama 24, Georgia 21
Stockton 13-20, 130, 1 TD; 22 rushing
Ty Simpson 24-38, 276, 2 TD; 12 rushing, TD
Georgia 24, Florida 20
Stockton 20-29, 223, 2 TD, 1 Int; 11 rushing
DJ Lagway 15-24, 166, TD, 24 rushing
Georgia 35, Texas 10
Stockton 24-29, 229, 4 TD, 1 Int; 29 rushing, TD
Arch Manning 27-43, 1 TD, 1 Int; -17 rushing
Georgia 43, Ole Miss 35
Stockton 26-31, 289, 4 TD; 59 rushing, TD
Chambliss 19-36, 263, 1 TD; 42 rushing, 2 TD
Georgia 16, Georgia Tech 9
Stockton 11-21, 70, 1 TD, 1 Int; 42 rushing
Hayne King 19-27, 181, 0 TD, 1 Int; 39 rushing
Georgia 28, Alabama 7
Stockton 20-26, 156, 3 TD; 39 rushing
Simpson 19-39, 212, 1 TD, 1 Int; -28 rushing
