Eventually, water will find its level when it comes to Power Four quarterback evaluation. Through the first five weeks of the season, Gunner Stockton's Georgia Bulldogs are 3-1 overall and 1-1 in SEC play. They have that big road win in overtime over Tennessee, as well as that close home loss to perpetual nemesis Alabama. One of the reasons this team has been successful has been Stockton.
In his first full year as the starter, he has improved from being solely a runner, to that of a strong and committed thrower. He should get better with more reps as the season goes along. That being said, people docking the guy this soon into his career will pay a price for it. His numbers are fine, but that is not half of his game. The fact he has yet to turn the football over shows Georgia can trust him already.
Still, ESPN's Bill Connelly tabbed Stockton as the 20th best Power Four quarterback with these stats.
- Total QBR: 88.2
- Passing Yards: 851
- Rushing Yards: 158
- Total Touchdowns: 8
Of the 19 quarterbacks listed ahead of him, Stockton has a better QBR (88.2) than 16 of them and more rushing yards (158) than nine of them. Although he only has more passing yards (851) than Tommy Castellanos ranked ahead of him and only more total touchdowns (8) than Trinidad Chambliss, Stockton has only played in four games! Some of these guys slotted ahead of him have played in five.
If you wanted to put Stockton inside the top 10, that may be a reach, but being 20th is not right either.
What Gunner Stockton has to do to tickle Bill Connelly's fancy at ESPN?
In his blurb about Stockton, Connelly admitted that Stockton has talent, but would like to see him be more explosive downfield as a passer. Would we all not? His biggest gripe is Stockton taking what the defense gives him with easy completions not far from the line of scrimmage. In time, he may air it out a bit more. Frankly, his team needs him to, so that it can overcome its increasingly unreliable defense.
There are three things that should have Georgia fans bullish on Stockton climbing this list as the season progresses. The first is he will have plenty of more starts to strut his stuff and improve his resume. The second would have to be the fact he is playing for a contending team, while others slotted ahead of him may fade in time because of that. The third is about him taking to coaching.
Regardless of how you feel about Mike Bobo, Stockton seems to fit this system better than his predecessor Carson Beck ever did. His willingness to run will open up even more passing lanes vs. lesser competition as the season goes along. Will Stockton end up a top-five quarterback in college football by the end of the season? Potentially. Will he be a top-12 passer? We should be banking on it.
For now, let's see what this emerging star quarterback has in him so new into his Georgia coronation.