The problem being pointed out about Gunner Stockton is not just a Gunner Stockton problem

One of the hotly-debated topics coming into the 2026 college football season is whether or not Gunner Stockton is a quarterback who can lead a team to a championship.

For the record, I think Stockton one-hundred percent is that guy, and he's shown it to everyone already. But that doesn't stop his detractors and doubters from coming out swinging, particularly about one aspect of his game.

At SEC Media Days, Nick Saban asked the question -- and it's one that we hear over and over again -- “Can Gunner Stockton take the next step in terms of being more effective throwing the ball down the field?”

Much of this questioning comes from a statstical standpoint, which is understandable but also doesn't tell the whole story. In 2025, Stockton only completed 42 passes of 20 or more yards, 17 passes for 30 or more yards, and only four of 40 or more yards. By comparison, the top quarterbacks in the nation more than doubled those stats.

Of those long pass plays, only 17 passes traveled more than 20 yards in the air, the remaining 46 plays gained over 20 in yards after catch (YAC) yardage.

Nationally, Georgia finished 52nd in the country in long pass plays from scrimmage. On paper, Gunner Stockton went 17-for-53 on passes traveling over 20 yards in the air, a meager completion percentage of 32.1, as opposed to his 66.7 percent completion for passes between 10-19 yards.

But a closer look at Gunner Stockton's film shows that when given the opportunity, Stockton can be lethal getting the ball downfield. So the problem may not be with Gunner, but rather the outside forces holding him back in this aspect of his game.

Dropped passes and issues with Georgia's wide receivers are the top culprit

In 2024 Georgia led the nation in dropped passes, a bugaboo that frustrated then-starter Carson Beck to no end. That season Georgia receivers dropped a whopping 36 passes. While improvements did happen last season, there's still an ongoing issue.

Georgia's receivers dropped 16 passes in 2025 -- a huge improvement -- though a deeper look shows that six of those drops happened on passes of 20 yards or more. That adjusts Stockton's deep pass completion percentage to 43.4, which is more in line with other SEC starters that had a similar number of deep attempts.

None of these stats take into account the overall lack of quality route-running by Georgia's receivers. Stockton threw 109 passes that traveled less than 10 yards. While there's no real tracker for it, any Georgia fan can tell you many of those passes were check-down throws when his receivers simply couldn't get open.

Better coaching and more experienced receivers should make all of those stats look much better in 2026.

How much blame for Stockton's deep ball struggles should land on Mike Bobo?

The easy way out and low-hanging fruit is to blame Mike Bobo. And yes, Stockton's 117 completions behind the line of scrimmage are a clear indicator of Bobo's tendency to lean on the tunnel screen play, but his play-calling downfield is actually not an issue when it comes to the deep passes.

As mentioned earlier, Stockton threw 53 passes that traveled more than 20 yards in the air. That's comparable to most SEC starters. Only Ty Simpson (62) and Arch Manning (65) threw signifcantly more deep balls. Every other starter was in Stockton's attempt range or less.

So Bobo is calling the plays (whether or not he's calling them at the right time is another topic), but the team isn't executing -- which could mean Stockton, receivers or even pass blockers have a hand in a pass not being completed.

Stockton can get better with deep balls, but it's not a huge weakness

So the truth about Stockton "getting the ball downfield" is really two-sided. Obviously missing on nearly 60 percent of his deep passes shows room for improvement, but it's not an indicator that he can't throw an accurate deep pass.

Case in point, the incredible 4th quarter comeback in Knoxville.

Or this dime, under pressure, to Colbie Young against Ole Miss.

Getting the ball downfield, in truth, will require more of a team effort on offense. Good pass protection, good route-running and good hands from the receivers, and good passes from Gunner Stockton himself.

So, the question, Coach Saban, is not can Gunner Stockton take the next step in terms of being more effective throwing the ball down the field, but rather, can Georgia's offense take the next step in helping Gunner Stockton be more effective getting the ball down field?

And there is where we'll see what Gunner's game is trully capable of becoming, and could be the difference in another early playoff exit versus a shot at Georgia's third national title under Kirby Smart.

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