In a world of increased mobility and questionable patience, be a Gunner Stockton. Four years into his Georgia football career, and the star quarterback for the Bulldogs is really starting to blossom. He was named an All-SEC performer and finished in the top 10 in Heisman voting. While it was not in the cards for him to win college football's highest individual honor, he may be able to win the national title.
With Georgia sitting pretty as the No. 3 seed and on a bye entering the College Football Playoff, surely, Kirby Smart is so incredibly thankful to have a player like Stockton, one who is willing to stick it out to fight for what he believes is his. In the dawn of NIL and the transfer portal, Smart should be over the moon to have him. He is probably not sweating very much over missing out on Jared Curtis.
This tweet from Saturday in Athens GA perhaps best encapsulates how Georgia is feeling about it all.
POV: me watching Dylan Raiola and DJ Lagway enter the transfer portal while we’re safely at #3 with a bye week thanks to Gunner Stockton and co. pic.twitter.com/isERptrVBA
— Saturdayinathensga (@saturdayinath) December 15, 2025
With notable quarterbacks such as Dylan Raiola, DJ Lagway, Sam Leavitt, and Brendan Sorsby all entering the transfer portal, Smart knows he has Stockton for one more season. Although he could conceivably turn pro, he is a borderline draftable player at this point. Stockton is not yet ready for the NFL, but he is perfect for college football. That is all you can really ask out of this Georgia product.
So while every team in the nation is scrambling in the lead-up to the portal opening, UGA is content.
Georgia may have found the formula to succeed at QB in the age of NIL
The college football world has changed drastically over the last five years. Players are now able to be compensated for their names, images, and likenesses. While water is starting to find its level there in this free-market enterprise, the transfer portal still needs some work. More importantly, the college football calendar does not make any sense. Eventually, we could get some clarity in all three regards.
For now, what Smart and his coaching staff seem to do a great job of is identifying quarterbacks who really want to be at Georgia. Many of them get on campus and do not leave until after they get their chance to start some two or three years later. Yes, they still pursue the hot commodities coming out of high school like Curtis and Raiola, but guys like Stockton and Stetson Bennett IV are their norm.
Even with Carson Beck transferring to Miami this past offseason, he still waited his turn to start Between the Hedges for three years. He had two highly successful seasons as the Georgia starter. Unfortunately for him, he had to follow a legend in Bennett, and was later succeeded by everyone's favorite local kid in Stockton. Georgia is able to win this way because the players have all bought in.
Georgia might dip into the transfer portal, but it will probably be for depth behind Stockton in 2026.