Gunner Stockton and Ryan Puglisi are in the middle of a quarterback competition this offseason. And while most think the job will eventually be won by Stockton, Puglisi is getting every chance possible to win the job himself.
Puglisi spoke with the media on Tuesday, and it sounds like he not only isn’t afraid of this competition, but it’s something that drew him to Georgia in the first place.
"No matter what at Georgia, no matter who you are, no matter where you are on the depth chart, you're always going to compete," Puglisi shared via uga.rivals.com. "I think you're competing with yourself every day as well. You know, just trying to be better than you were yesterday and putting your head down and going to work every single day, no matter where you are on the depth chart.”
Puglisi comments on his love for Georgia
One concern a lot of fans have nowadays is that players who will choose to leave Georgia and transfer if they don’t win the starting job. Puglisi is someone who could fall into that category if he doesn’t win the starting job because he is good enough to start at many other schools.
However, Puglisi also discussed on Tuesday how much he loves Georgia. So much so that even if he doesn’t win the starting job this fall it sounds like he won’t even think about transferring elsewhere.
"I really just think it comes down to having a love for where you want to go," Puglisi continued. "I came to Georgia, I came on multiple visits, met with the staff multiple times, and I loved them every single time. 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. 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."
Having Puglisi stick with Georgia regardless of if he wins the job is huge for the program. Not only will he be someone that could eventually become the starter once Stockton’s career is done, but having a backup of his caliber is an amazing thing to have. Obviously no one would ever want something to happen to Stockton, but having Puglisi behind him just in case is a nice security blanket.
It will be interesting to see how this competition plays out the rest of this offseason, but regardless it sounds like Puglisi isn’t going anywhere, and that is great news because he is the perfect example of what it means to be a Bulldog.