When it comes to winning the Heisman Trophy, every game matters. To come out on top with regards to college football's greatest individual honor, a player needs to not only put up stats, but play for a high-end team. Gunner Stockton is able to do that at Georgia because the Dawgs are dominant and he is an incredible dual-threat playmaker. His big performance vs. Tennessee in Week 3 was stellar.
That being said, the Heisman Trophy is also a "What have you done for me lately?" type of award. It does not matter what you did weeks ago, but the impression you leave in the minds of the Heisman voters in the here and now. Yes, they love a narrative, but winning games and putting up incredible stats are the way into the voters' hearts. For Stockton, he has to continue to play well vs. Alabama.
The Crimson Tide have their own Heisman Trophy contender in quarterback Ty Simpson. Although they lost in Week 1 on the road vs. Florida State, who just lost on the road to Virginia on Friday night in overtime, the Crimson Tide have largely owned Georgia for two decades. This includes last season's barn-burner at Bryant-Denny in Tuscaloosa. Could Stockton be the difference maker Georgia needs?
He is going to be asked to do a lot, but he really needs his teammates to back him up to win this one.
Gunner Stockton's Heisman Trophy candidacy hinges on Alabama game
This is not that complicated to get one's head around. If Stockton plays well and Georgia wins, he shall remain a top-five contender for the Heisman Trophy like he is now. Should he struggle in defeat, that might be all she wrote for his candidacy. This should not effectively cross him off, but Stockton always had a tall hill to climb and a narrow margin for error to win the award in his first season starting.
The good thing he has going for him is people know who he is because of the team he plays for. He is able to make plays with his arms and his legs for a serious playoff contender. This puts him in a similar category to one of his Georgia predecessors in Stetson Bennett IV. Although he did not win the Heisman Trophy in 2022, he was a finalist for it, and helped Georgia win back-to-back national titles.
Even more interesting, Stockton has to put up stats in this game to effectively keep pace with the likes of Fernando Mendoza at Indiana and Dante Moore at Oregon. Win or lose, their head coaches are going to make sure their guys pad the stats sheet to potentially make it to New York should the Hoosiers or Ducks have the seasons they are planning on. Kirby Smart is just trying to win games.
The narrative Stockton is building could grow with an Alabama win, just like it goes away with a loss.