Kirby Smart spoke with the media on Wednesday and during his press conference he dished out a lot of praise to quarterback Gunner Stockton. This shouldn't be that surprising since he typically speaks highly of Stockton in public settings, but just last week Smart called him out during practice when the offense was struggling to move the ball in the air.
Smart however has changed his tune on Stockton and the Georgia offense in general as he apparently has the offense performing at a much higher level since their struggles at the start of fall camp.
More on Gunner, Kirby said: "You can see his growth, kind of in a lot of areas because some of it's leadership, some of it's mentorship, and some of it's just throwing ability and getting the ball downfield. So pleased with. with Gunner's growth and really pleased with his work… https://t.co/CCTg5khZGq
— Harrison Reno (@HarrisonReno) August 19, 2026
Gunner Stockton is answering the call after Kirby Smart called him out
When Smart called Gunner Stockton out last week he was demanding that he stop forcing the ball down the field. Stockton apparently was trying to fit the ball into too tight of windows, and that's part of the reason why Georgia's defense has been better than the offense throughout camp. Stockton however has responded well since being called out, and now he has earned Smart's praises.
Georgia's offense still has a long way to go. Their receivers and tight ends have reportedly been dropping Stockton's passes quite often, but Smart believes Stockton is doing his part to correct their issues.
One of the biggest areas of improvement for Stockton this year is his deep ball. He not only has to be more willing to take chances down the field, but he needs to be more accurate when he does. No one outside of the football building will know if he has taken steps in the right direction until the season begins, but Smart believes he has shown a lot of improvement.
Not only does Smart believe he has improved on the field, but he has seen a lot of improvement from Stockton as a leader too.
Gunner Stockton's leadership could help Georgia sustain success after he's gone
This is Gunner Stockton's final season at Georgia, but even though he won't be around next year he can still have an impact on that team. His leadership this year will be very important because when Georgia enters a quarterback battle next offseason Stockton can have every player as prepared as possible.
Kirby Smart highlighted Stockton's leadership as one area that has improved this offseason. He has never been the most vocal guy in Georgia's locker room, but he leads by example better than almost everyone else on Georgia's team. The example he is setting today and throughout the rest of the year will help every other quarterback in Georgia's locker room learn how to lead a team, so when they potentially take over in the future they will be more prepared to do so.
Stockton has one final chance to cement his legacy among the best quarterbacks in Georgia football history. A national championship this year will propel him into the conversation as one of the all time greats in Georgia's history, but passing on his leadership skills to those below him is arguably just as important for Georgia's future.
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