A lot of Georgia football fans have been making comparisons between likely starting quarterback Gunner Stockton and Georgia legend Stetson Bennett. While their playing styles are very different, there are a lot of similarities between the two that can't be ignored.
Those similarities mainly involve the expectations (or lack thereof) both had when they became the starting QB for Georgia.
Neither player was ranked that high coming out of high school, and that is pretty much all analysts and fans use when judging a quarterback before they make their first start. But can Stockton do what Bennett did and surpass those expectations and lead Georgia to a few championships?
That will not be an easy task for Stockton, but according to On3's Rusty Mansell, there are two questions Stockton must answer if he wants the comparisons between him and Bennett to continue once the season begins.
There were two questions @RustyMansell_ had for Gunner Stockton when it comes to him being compared to Stetson Bennett.
— The Bulldawg Report (@ReportBulldawg) June 10, 2025
1. Can he minimize the batted balls at the LOS? (he had 3 in Georgia's last scrimmage)
2. How will he play in the 4th quarter? (Stetson Bennett was clutch) pic.twitter.com/AnJpjn9tWM
1. Can Stockton limit batted balls?
One issue Stockton has had in his short time as Georgia's QB is many of his passes being batted down at the line of scrimmage. This happened a few times during Georgia's loss to Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff and reportedly happened three times during Georgia's last scrimmage.
Batted balls are one of the worst things that can happen to a quarterback because it gives receivers zero chance to make a play on the ball. So even if Stockton has a wide open receiver, it won't matter if the opposing defense is able to bat the ball down.
This is something Stockton is going to have to improve on if he is going to lead Georgia to a lot of success this season.
2. Will Stockton have the clutch gene like Bennett?
Bennett is arguably the greatest quarterback in Georgia history, but he was far from the most talented. That ended up not holding him back while at Georgia because of how clutch he was every single game.
Every time Georgia needed a big play, Bennett delivered. He even delivered the big moment on the biggest stages against the best teams in the country as well. That is why Bennett has gone down as the greatest Georgia QB of all time, even though he isn't the best from a technical stadpoint.
Stockton is more than good enough to keep Georgia in every game this season, even against the best teams in the country. But can he deliver in the big moments, especially in the fourth quarter, when the team needs him most?
He will have to if he wants to be remembered like Bennett.