All eyes this offseason are on Georgia football quarterbacks Gunner Stockton and Ryan Puglisi as they battle it out to win the starting job for the upcoming regular season. And while it appears Stockton may be winning that job, it is still important that this competition continues throughout the offseason as it is only going to make both players better.
But there is another QB that everyone should be keeping an eye on as well because he could be the face of the program at some point in the future. That QB is Ryan Montgomery, who is a true freshman and was the No. 12 QB in the 2026 class according to the 247Sports composite rankings.
While Montgomery does not have a chance to win the starting job this fall, it is still important to watch him this offseason as he is coming off a significant injury from his senior season in high school. And Kirby Smart commented on this injury during his press conference on Tuesday and how he is recovering.
“I haven’t been able to see much with Ryan (Montgomery),” Smart shared via dawgnation.com. “You know, he’s coming off an ACL. That’s not something [easy] for a kid [who’s not had] a long career to be able to do. We’re not asking him to do that. He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do. He gets to throw some ball drills to receivers, but I can’t judge that. I mean, that’s not a real play.”
Ryan Montgomery is beginning to participate with the team
As mentioned, Montgomery will not be winning the starting job this year even if he were healthy, but missing out on this crucial development time as a true freshman is not great for his development. And while Smart mentioned he still isn't fully out there with the team yet, he is participating in some throwing drills.
It's likely that he is just remain stationary during these drills because he is coming back from an ACL injury, but just hearing that he is back in any capacity is an awesome thing to hear.