Gunner Stockton had a lot to prove during the 2025 season. As a first time starter there were a lot of people that doubted his abilities and if he was good enough to lead Georgia to a championship.
But as everyone knows he proved all of his doubters wrong as he led Georgia to a 12-2 season, SEC Championship and 3-seed in the College Football Playoff.
While last season was a big success for him, Stockton faces a new challenge entering the 2026 season as he will have a new cast of wide receivers he will have to lead.
Gunner Stockton's new challenge is something he has never had to deal with
Every year quarterbacks have to learn how to play with a few new faces. Whether it be guys leaving early for the NFL, entering the Transfer Portal or graduating, QBs have to learn to play with new teammates every season. That applies to Stockton this year, but the challenge facing him is much most difficult compared to any other quarterback in the country.
Georgia lost six of their top seven pass catchers from the 2025 season. This means that Stockton is going to have to work with a brand new cast of receivers this season where a vast majority of them have not found much success yet during their college careers. That doesn't mean these players are bad by any means, but there is always a little worry as UGA will wonder if they can get all the pieces to fit together.
Stockton will be relied upon to lead this group and pick up the pieces early as they learn to play together. Vegas however still thinks Stockton will have no issues performing well with a new group of receivers as he is one of the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy next season, but this is a unique challenge for him that he will have to overcome on the fly.