ATHENS — The opening lyrics to the Green Day song Waiting sum up redshirt freshman Ryan Puglisi well.

“I’ve been waiting a long time, for this moment to come, I’m destined for anything at all,” Billie Joe Armstrong sings.

After first publicly announcing he would play for Georgia in October of 2022, the quarterback finally got a chance to throw a pass in front of fans in Sanford Stadium.

Puglisi, who committed to Georgia when Todd Monken was still Georgia’s offensive coordinator, worked largely as the No. 2 quarterback a on G-Day. He got plenty of action, attempting 49 passes on the afternoon. He completed 23 of the attempts for 224 yards to go along with 2 touchdowns and an interception.

For as much as has been said about Puglisi to this moment, he looked like how a redshirt freshman at Georgia should. Some good — a touchdown pass to Colbie Young — some bad — an ugly interception in a two-minute drill — and someone whose best football is still ahead of him.

“That dude’s bound to be successful eventually — whether it’s this year, whether it’s next year, whether it’s in the future," tight end Lawson Luckie said. “He’s going to be a great player. It’s just a matter of time.”

Puglisi could replace Carson Beck as Georgia’s starting quarterback this fall. He believes he has the opportunity to do so and the talent to win.

Gunner Stockton stands in his way however. Stockton only has 83 career pass attempts, he’s got a significant leg up in terms of time and reps in the Georgia system.

Stockton has now played in four G-Day games, first arriving in the spring of 2022. Puglisi didn’t play in the 2024 version of the game as he recovered from a knee injury.

The experience gap is wide and that tilts the odds in Stockton’s favor at this point.

“He’s still probably a little bit behind Gunner in terms of the knowledge of the offense, but he’s catching up in regards to that, right,” Smart said after G-Day. “He’s getting experience, knowing when to pull it down and run it, when to throw it away, just game management decisions. He’s not gonna do anything but get better.”

Puglisi agrees with Smart in that he improved this spring. He feels much more comfortable when it comes to teaching and explaining the offense to teammates.

As for the physical aspects, Puglisi showed he has the arm talent to make all the throws. In addition to his touchdown pass to Young, he made an impressive back-shoulder throw to freshman CJ Wiley for a 35-yard gain. Puglisi almost had a touchdown to an open Elyiss Williams, but the freshman dropped a would-be touchdown.

Puglisi’s best drive of the afternoon came when working with the first-team offense. He completed all 3 of his pass attempts on the drive and gained 52 yards through the air. His touchdown pass to Young capped off the drive.

He certainly looked like he elevated his play when the competition went up a notch. That’s a big reason the Paxton, Mass., native came all the way down to Georgia in the first place.

“I think it’s rare to find a school that you truly love, and when you really love something, you’re willing to do everything for it,” Puglisi said prior to G-Day. “You’re willing to wake up early the next day and go to work, do whatever it takes to get better. So I think it would have been tough for me to find another school that I love as much as Georgia, and I still feel that way.”

Waiting is nothing new for Puglisi. It runs counter to the modern college football player, where the transfer portal looms as an instant gratification option.

Some outsiders might be worried that Puglisi might one day look to the transfer portal before he gets the chance to play at Georgia. Gunner Stockton didn’t start his first game until the end of his third season at Georgia, while Carson Beck started the first game of his fourth year in Athens.

Even Stetson Bennett — who would go on to win two national championships for Georgia — didn’t start for Georgia until his fourth year of college football and didn’t become the every game starter until his fifth season.

As for those who opted to take the fast way out, JT Daniels bounced from Georgia to West Virginia to Rice after transferring in from USC. Jaden Rashada is still looking for a new home after transferring out after just one season at Georgia.

Puglisi has always shown great patience. He remained steadfast in his commitment to Georgia even when the Bulldogs added and then lost fellow 2024 quarterback Dylan Raiola.

Smart wants his quarterbacks to be wired differently in comparison to most of their contemparies. For all that Puglisi has in front of him, it’s clear he fits the mental mold Smart longs for with his quarterbacks.

“I love Ryan, man. He’s a killer,” Luckie said. “I love the way he attacks the game. I love the way he attacks the game. I love the way he goes about his business day to day. He puts in so many hours to it behind the scenes.”

The transfer portal closes on April 25. Georgia expects Puglisi to stay long past that deadline. Still competing for the starting job in 2025, while acknowledging he might have to wait longer his moment to come at Georgia.

As he has already shown in his connection with Georgia, that doesn’t bother Puglisi one bit.

“I definitely think I’ve developed a ton mentally and physically at the quarterback position,” Puglisi said. “I think, obviously, that’s why you come to Georgia, to get developed, to get better. I’m happy with the progress I’ve made so far, but obviously there’s a long way to go. I’m excited for that.”