ATHENS — Georgia football coach Kirby Smart looks at Gunner Stockton and sees a quarterback who has all the tools for success.

This, in spite of what Stockton’s inconsistent performances against elite defenses might indicate.

There is indeed more to Stockton than what meets the eye, even if there are some elements to his game than need more fine tuning.

“I love his work ethic, I love his dedication and passion to film study,” Smart said on a recent interview with 92.9 The Game, when asked what he loves about Stockton that observers might not realize.

“He takes notes every day, like, the detail matters to him. He doesn’t get real emotional, high or low, (and) he’s not one of these people that’s up and down, he messes something up, he keeps it moving.”

Stockton has the profile of a winner, and now it’s a matter of Saturday results, starting with today’s scrimmage.

Smart explained that Georgia’s still working on itself at this stage of fall camp, grinding through days of workouts and walk-throughs as they have literally lived together on campus for this brief period.

“Right now we’re self-scouting and we’re putting in our install,” Smart said. “(Stockton) is trying to understand, ‘what my options are, what the split of the receivers should be, what the protection is, what the Mike point is,’ “ Smart said, sharing game management phases that will be put under the microscope when the coaches review scrimmage footage.

“He’s not studying (opposing) defenses now, but there will come a point and time when he does, and he has a regimen.”

Smart shared how the breakdown for Stockton film study typically goes, providing rare insight into the inner-workings of the program.

“He comes in on Sunday and watches two games, he comes in on Monday he studies first and second down,” Smart said. “He comes in on Tuesday, he sees third down, red area, special situations, two-minute (offense).

“So he has a protocol he goes through.”

Stockton has spent the past two years operating scout team offenses, working as a third-team quarterback, second-team quarterback and now first-team quarterback.

It’s fair to say Stockton has seen as much of Georgia’s star-studded defenses as anyone, and had to work against them in scrimmages.

There’s no experience for that number of repetitions, even if it doesn’t show up in his career stats, or if outsiders haven’t had access to see it.

Smart has noted the 6-foot-1 Stockton’s not the tallest quarterback, or even the fastest, but the head coach believes the commitment to preparation is enough to compensate and provide a winning edge.

“He’s really religious with that (preparation),” Smart said. “He feels comfortable doing that … some quarterbacks say they do that, but they really won’t, but he will do it.”