One of the biggest reasons why the Georgia Bulldogs have remained a College Football Playoff lock throughout pretty much the entire season has been the tremendous play of first-year starting quarterback Gunner Stockton. There was a ton of debate over how good he would be replacing Carson Beck once he undeclared from the NFL Draft, and then promptly transferred over to Miami.
Truth be told, Stockton has always felt like a better fit in Mike Bobo's offense than Beck, who always felt more like a Todd Monken guy. Stockton still needs to get better at layering the football, but he does seem to be getting better with each passing start. It is why Georgia is 8-1 on the season and ranked inside the top five of the latest College Football Playoff rankings. The guy is a stud, no doubt.
As you can see, Stockton was named as a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award on Tuesday afternoon.
Gunner Stockton has been named a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award 🏆 #GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/u0JnV00jOE
— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) November 11, 2025
On the year, Stockton has completed 69.4 percent of his passes for 2,040 yards, 15 touchdowns and only two interceptions. As a runner, Stockton has 77 carries for 321 yards and seven rushing touchdowns. Keep in mind that if he did not take a knee at the one-yard line vs. Florida, he would have one more rushing yard and an additional trip to pay dirt. The guy is such an outstanding dual-threat.
The best part about this is the Maxwell Award winner is not always the guy who wins the Heisman.
Gunner Stockton being up for the Maxwell this season is a massive deal
The fact Stockton is even up for the Maxwell during his first season as the full-time starter is nothing short of impressive. Although it is nowhere near as prestigious of an award as the Heisman Trophy, oftentimes players who win the Heisman do not win the Maxwell. In recent years, Ashton Jeanty, Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa all won the Maxwell without necessarily winning the Heisman.
The good news for Stockton is he plays the right position on the right team to potentially do this. Being a dual-threat quarterback on a national championship contender is the most preferrable option. The bad news is Georgia may not get a 13th game before voting season comes to a close. While missing out on the SEC Championship Game may help their national title odds, it hurts him.
In the end, we should all expect for Stockton to return to Georgia for one more year after this to be the starter. He is not expected to be drafted if he were to declare after just one year as the starter. With the way that he is improving each passing week, he might force his way into the conversation of being a well-thought-of pick this time next year. For now, he must focus only on what he can control.
Stockton is not the favorite to win the Maxwell, but being a semifinalist suggest that he could win it.