There are a lot of questions surrounding Gunner Stockton once again after his lackluster performance against Austin Peay this weekend. Stockton had an efficient day against the Governors, but he didn’t stand out as a top performer like he did in week one against Marshall.
The biggest issue fans had with Stockton was his hesitation to throw the deep ball to open wide receivers. There were countless examples on Saturday when Georgia had a receiver open down field, but Stockton was unwilling to even attempt to push the ball down the field.
Kirby Smart previously detailed how he has shown the ability to throw the deep ball in practice, he just needs to find the confidence to do it during the game. Star wide receiver Colbie Young agrees with this assessment from Smart as well as he expressed a lot of confidence on Monday in his quarterback going forward.
“He’s explosive in practice. I’ve seen him make unbelievable next level plays. I like to say he’s a Russell Wilson type… We’ve got a great running game. It will come. It’s a long season.”
Colbie Young on Gunner Stockton and UGA’s lack of explosive passing plays:
— Graham Coffey (@GrahamCoffeyDC) September 8, 2025
“He’s explosive in practice. I’ve seen him make unbelievable next level plays. I like to say he’s a Russell Wilson type… We’ve got a great running game. It will come. It’s a long season.”
Georgia still has a lot of belief in Gunner Stockton
Young has proven to be one of the top wide receivers at Stockton’s disposal this season. He had one of the best offensive performances on Saturday as he led the team with seven receptions and 76 receiving yards.
The fact that Young only tallied 10 yards per reception though is the perfect example of what fans want to see from Stockton. They want to see him not be afraid to throw the deep ball and try to take the top off the defense. Both Smart and Young believe in Stockton based on how he performs in practice, so it’s just a matter of finding the confidence to pull the trigger in the game.
Stockton’s next opportunity to prove he can throw the deep ball is this Saturday when the Bulldogs travel to Tennessee. And based on how great the Vols offense has been so far, Georgia is going to need to put up a lot of points if they want to win this game.