The Georgia Bulldogs are entering a new era this season, and it is one that fans are probably pretty happy to see. After four seasons at Georgia and two as the starter for the Bulldogs, the Carson Beck era has ended, and the fans were okay letting him go. Beck transferred to Miami and now will compete in the ACC.
Now, the big question for Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs is who the new starting quarterback will be. After the end of last season, it seemed everything was going towards Gunner Stockton taking over for Beck; however, he is not the only quarterback who could take the position. Freshman Ryan Puglisi is also in the competition for the starting role, and Stockton may not have this battle wrapped up like some thought he would.
Georgia insider Mike Griffith joined the DawgNation podcast and shared his thoughts on the quarterback, and he seems to think it is a lot closer than some might think it is.
The QB1 spot in Athens might not be locked down just yet. @MikeGriffith32
— DawgNation (@DawgNation) June 17, 2025
says if Ryan Puglisi didn’t think he had a shot, he wouldn’t still be here.
The battle with Gunner Stockton could be closer than Dawg fans think.#UGA #GoDawgs #DawgNation #OntheBeat pic.twitter.com/5IYCj6AB2R
Griffith seems to think that if Stockton had the job locked up, two things would have happened by now. One, Smart would have already named Stockton the starter outright, and that Puglisi wouldn't still be around if Stockton were already the starter outright.
If Puglisi thought he couldn't compete for the starting position, he probably would have entered the transfer portal and gone somewhere where he could compete for a starting role. Looking at Georgia's spring game, there wasn't a lot that showed that Stockton was that much better than Puglisi and yes, Stockton has real in-game experience running Georgia's offense, but if Puglisi can do the same, if not a little better than Stockton, why can't he be the starter?
It says a lot that Smart hasn't named a quarterback yet, and while it seems like Stockton has the job tied up nicely, it just can't be overlooked that he hasn't officially earned it yet. It just seems like the door is still open for Puglisi to earn that starting role, especially with 5-star recruit QB Jared Curtis coming in a year, this may be Puglisi's best opportunity to be the starter at Georgia.