Saturday night will show us just how much Gunner Stockton has grown. Georgia’s senior quarterback is making his third start against the Alabama Crimson Tide, and his first in Bryant-Denny Stadium. It’s easily the biggest test of the year so far for this Bulldogs team as this top 10 tilt will go a long way in showing how different of a quarterback Stockton is from his 2025 self.
“It starts with a good week of prep,” Stockton said of finding success against Alabama. “Any time you're on the road you’ve got to communicate at a high level and execute. Because everything in those games–- it just comes down to little details.”
Severe weather could impact Gunner Stockton even more than Alabama
Much of the buildup to this game has been clouded by speculation regarding the impact of Hurricane Isaias. While the game seems set to play as scheduled, it’s fair to wonder how wind and rain could impact the passing game.
Success through the air could be at a premium, and even if it isn’t there’s going to be pressure on Stockton to match Alabama’s Keelon Russell in finding explosive plays and moving the ball down the field. Either way, the Bulldogs need the best version of Stockton to win.
Chauncey Bowens, who rushed for 119 yards on 12 carries against Alabama last year, is out. Nate Frazier is back in the lineup, but might not be 100 percent after nursing a painful rib injury. Much of the onus to generate offense may fall on the quarterback.
The good news for Georgia so far is that Stockton has looked really good this year. His most performance against Vanderbilt was very strong. He completed 25 of 32 attempts for 295 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions.
Stockton is seeing the field and going through his progressions at a higher level than ever before. Against Vanderbilt, he nailed a deep ball to Landon Roldan and hit multiple intermediate throws over the middle.
Those weren’t necessarily tools in his bag last season.
“He played a really, really good game the other day, and I was really happy for him because of how hard he works at it,” head coach Kirby Smart said. “But he's gotta continue to get better to give us a chance where we wanna go."
Georgia's need for explosive plays reaches an all time high against Alabama
Georgia put it on Stockton to produce more explosive plays as a second-year starter. In 2025, a lot of his production came on quick-hitters and screen passes, and he didn’t throw the deep ball accurately.
It hasn’t come against great competition just yet, but 2026 has shown us a more aggressive, confident player who isn’t afraid to let the tough throws rip. He’s also defaulting to the scramble far less frequently and keeping his eyes downfield.
“I'm certainly very happy and pleased with where Gunner is as a player,” Smart said. “I think experience helps. I think experience matters. I think how people play around you matters. I think gameplan and what you're asked to do, not asking a quarterback to do more than he needs to do, is important.”
Stockton is soft-spoken and good-natured in front of the media, but has a competitive fire on the field that his teammates have raved about. It’s the kind of wiring you need to win games like the one in Tuscaloosa.
“I wouldn’t go to war with anyone else in America, I truly believe that,” offensive tackle Earnest Greene III said. “The way he prepares day in and day out for games like this, I’m just happy I get to block for a guy like that.”
Stockton’s worst game of the season came against the best defense he’s faced, Oklahoma. He went 14-of-25 passing for 171 yards, one touchdown and one particularly rough interception. The offense hit a big snag in the third quarter of Georgia’s 41-13 win, and the team largely benefitted from a disastrous performance from the Sooners’ offense.
Even then, Stockton looked undeterred by the interception, especially compared to previous occasions where his aggression cratered following a turnover. He hit Talyn Taylor for the fourth of four 30+ yard passing plays to get the offense back rolling again. It’s what you want to see from your quarterback after some adversity.
Alabama is going to put Georgia in tougher situations both because of its explosive offense that will put pressure on the Bulldogs to score. Stockton’s resolve is going to be tested.
Plus, the Tide have a fearsome pass rush and defensive backs who can make you pay for errant throws. They have four pick sixes in five games this year.
“They've been really opportunistic as well when they've gotten them, running them back and scoring,” Smart said. “Any time you score on defense, it's a big, huge momentum swing, and they've got players who can do it."
But if Georgia can get Stockton rolling out and hitting big throws to the boundary as he’s done this year, there is room for him to have a big game.
In his first start against the Crimson Tide, Stockton threw a season-low 20 passes for his second-lowest yardage total of the year, 130 yards. In Georgia’s win over the Tide in the SEC championship, the Bulldogs benefited largely from short fields and Stockton was efficient, if not spectacular. He went 20 of 26 passing for 156 yards and three touchdowns.
For Georgia to win this game, it’s going to need to be Stockton’s best performance against Alabama yet, and possibly in a Georgia uniform altogether.
It’s time to see how much he’s truly progressed.
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