Georgia football is once again expected to be one of the best teams in the country this season. Even though that is the case, not many expect the Bulldogs to actually compete for a National Championship.
The biggest reason why is because of Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton and how this will be his first time as a full time starter in college. The fact that this is his first time taking over the Georgia offense is definitely a cause for concern, but it doesn't make much sense to completely rule Georgia out for that reason alone.
That is especially true because there are teams like Texas and Michigan who are in the exact same position with their quarterback rooms but are not facing the same questions Stockton and Georgia are.
But recent developments in the QB rooms for Texas and Michigan show that their own coaching staffs have some doubts with their new quarterbacks, doubts that Kirby Smart does not share with Stockton.
Texas and Michigan concerns should fuel confidence in Gunner Stockton
The two quarterbacks arguably receiving the most hype this offseason are Arch Manning with Texas and Bryce Underwood with Michigan. While they both have a lot of potential, they have not played any meaningful football in college yet. In fact, Stockton has played more meaningful football than both combined as he took over for an injured Carson Beck in the SEC Championship game and College Football Playoff.
So why is the college football world doubting Stockton so much more than these two quarterbacks?
While college football fans and analysts have a lot of faith in Manning and Underwood, their own coaching staffs do not shared that same faith. Both Texas and Michigan brought in experienced transfer QBs out of the transfer portal this offseason, which is a sign that they have some conerns with their new starting quarterbacks. Smart and Georgia on the other hand did not bring in a new quarterback out of the portal to compete with Stockton.
So maybe more concern should be placed on Manning and Underwood at Texas and Michigan instead of Stockton, because it's clear that Smart has zero concerns with Stockton taking over while the same can't be said for these two other programs.