Gunner Stockton – Syndication Server

4 Georgia offensive players set for larger roles in 2025

Four Georgia Bulldogs on offensive expected to get a significant snap count increase.

Seventeen Georgia Bulldogs are declaring for the draft, and 14 Georgia Bulldogs have entered the transfer portal. The roster turnover is concerning for some Georgia fans, but with it comes the chance for several Georgia reserves to play significant snaps and show their prowess in 2025.

Here are four Georgia players on offense that should earn significantly more snaps in 2025:

Quarterback Gunner Stockton

This is such a no-brainer inclusion that it almost feels wrong to include Stockton in here. Yet, with Carson Beck officially transferring to Miami, Stockton is in line to be the starting quarterback for Georgia.

He had a chance to start against Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl, and while Georgia lost 23-10, Stockton inspired a ton of confidence with his deep ball and his scramble ability.

Watch out for Ryan Puglisi too, just in case Stockton gets hurt.

Running back Nate Frazier

There was arguably nobody that benefited more from the 2025 NFL draft than Nate Frazier. Since Trevor Etienne announced his decision to declare for the NFL draft, Frazier immediately becomes the lead back for Georgia.

He already had similar numbers to Etienne as a freshman. Frazier posted 671 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 133 carries compared to Etienne’s 609 rushing yards and nine touchdowns and 122 carries. Frazier could be a 1,000 yard rusher for the Georgia Bulldogs next year.

Running back Branson Robinson

Both of Georgia’s Robinson running backs (Branson Robinson and Roderick Robinson) benefited from Trevor Etienne’s draft decision. It remains to be seen which one will step up as the No. 2 running back behind Nate Frazier. Georgia usually rolls with a one-two punch at running back.

It seems like Branson Robinson will be the second in line. Granted, both Branson and Roderick Robinson dealt with injury troubles in the past. Branson Robinson played in six games, including starting the Clemson game, before suffering a knee injury that took him out for the rest of the season. Meanwhile, Roderick Robinson was so battered with injuries, he able to play just 28 snaps against Georgia Tech in his only appearance of the season.

Center Drew Bobo

Mike Bobo’s son has already had some starting experience. Drew Bobo started in place of an injured Tate Ratledge for two games last year, earning a 69.9 PFF grade.

Now, Bobo is projected to move into the starting center spot and with four UGA starting offensive lineman declaring for the NFL draft, he’ll have to be the centerpiece of an almost entirely new offense line.

Georgia QB transfer target from UNC finds new home

Georgia football misses out on another quarterback transfer target.

Former North Carolina quarterback Jacolby Criswell is expected to transfer to Eastern Tennessee State, according to 247Sports.

Criswell, a Georgia transfer target, spent most of his first three seasons on the bench after UNC recruited him in the class of 2020. He transferred to Arkansas in 2023, hoping to win the starting job in his junior year. He lost to established starter KJ Jefferson and only attempted 23 passes, including 20 in one game that he didn’t start.

Criswell finally earned significant playing time when he transferred back to UNC in 2024. Once starter Max Johnson suffered a season-ending leg injury in the Tarheel’s first game, Criswell won the starting job over ineffective Conner Harrell. Through the last 10 games, Criswell proceeded to throw 2,459 yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

Eastern Tennessee acquires Criswell a few days after picking up the once highly-regarded Michigan starter Cade McNamara. The two will compete for the starting role in training camp.

Georgia has not landed a transfer quarterback in this cycle. With Jaden Rashada and Carson Beck leaving via the transfer portal, the need to find one has become more urgent. Georgia recruited four-star Ryan Montgomery and flipped Hezekiah Millender from Boise State, but Georgia could use an experienced starter, at least to sit and mentor probable QB1 Gunner Stockton.

How Gunner Stockton’s time as Georgia QB indirectly elevates Carson Beck’s case, decision to transfer

Carson Beck hardly deserves the backlash he’s gotten as he’s decided to transfer to Miami. Here’s why.

Carson Beck is not headed to the 2025 NFL Draft after being pinned as the potential No. 1 overall pick ahead of the season. Rather, he is headed to Miami to spend a year as the Hurricanes starting quarterback.

That’s something no one in the nation can honestly claim that they drew up, and in a way, it is totally understandable.

Beck will take over a promising team that has emerged as a consistent contender in the Mario Cristobal era, and Cam Ward has shown just how much transferring to the program can cause a prospect’s draft stock to skyrocket.

That’s perfectly illustrated by the fact that the former journeyman signal-caller is likely going to be the first quarterback and one of the first three prospects regardless of position to come off of the board.

So, there’s plenty of incentive for Beck, or any quarterback for that matter, to want to take advantage of that. But, there’s more to the story. And, weirdly enough, you need not to look any further than the case of Gunner Stockton to see that.

How exactly does Stockton factor into this? It’s more simple than it seems.

Georgia fans were calling for Beck to be sent to the bench toward the end of the season and into the postseason because of the lack of success the passing game was having.

Georgia had one of its worst supporting casts it has had in recent history during the 2024 season. Head coach Kirby Smart even noted that the team had subpar depth in a way he has not exactly seen in his time at Georgia so far.

“There is not a position that we have enough depth at,” Smart said when he met with the media during the season. “I mean, like I repeatedly say, we have less depth than we’ve ever had before. So we evaluate the transfer portal on who fits our culture more than we do who fits our talent level.”

There’s a difference between Stockton and Beck — Stockton is not nearly as developed as Beck is as a pure passer or a mental processor. The gap is a country mile wide, and that much was greatly exposed in Georgia’s 23-10 loss to Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl.

Stockton made a multitude of “rookie mistakes” that can be expected with any quarterback who does not have adequate in-game reps. That much is not Stockton’s fault and can only be remedied with time.

It’s safe to say many Georgia fans were lamenting not having Beck in the game for the Sugar Bowl and were taking back a lot of what they had previously said.

However, there is no denying the statement that Stockton made a statement and injected life in a way it seemed like Beck could not when the Bulldogs got the 22-19 win over the Texas Longhorns in the conference championship.

The secret sauce Stockton has is that he has a level of mobility and escapability that Beck does not possess.

While Beck does have that to some degree, it is nowhere close to what Stockton has.

Even though Beck is the better overall quarterback prospect by and large, he will never reach his full potential as a pocket passer first and foremost with a receiving corps that had the worst drop rate in all of college football.

There are things Stockton can generate with his legs as a playmaker that Beck is not capable of, which is why he looked so good in that SEC Championship Game victory over Texas when Beck got injured.

It will be interesting to see what happens for both parties with Stockton looking to be Georgia’s next version of Stetson Bennett and Beck entering an entirely new environment, but there should be no question that Beck did what he had to do to reach his full potential.

And perhaps there’s no other explanation that Georgia failing him in its pass-catchers drove him to have no other choice but than to make this move.

ESPN predicts the next starting QB for Georgia

ESPN names who it thinks will be the Georgia Bulldogs’ staring quarterback for 2025 season

ESPN predicted the starting quarterbacks (subscription required) for every Power Four program in college football next season and has Gunner Stockton returning as Georgia’s starting quarterback in 2025.

In Stockton’s only start, the Sugar Bowl against Notre Dame, he went 20-of-32 passing for 234 yards and a touchdown. He went 8-of-10 on play actions that showed his decisiveness and arm strength.

“Stockton got the job done in the SEC title game and pulled off an overtime win over Texas.” said ESPN. “(Georgia) appear(s) to be moving forward with Stockton as their QB1 for 2025.”

Georgia’s remaining scholarship quarterbacks are Ryan Puglisi, Hezekiah Millender and Ryan Montgomery. None have starting experience. Puglisi turned heads this past season as he moved into the backup role around bowl season and overtook Jaden Rashada’s place on the depth chart.

The competition will more than likely be between Stockton and Puglisi with Stockton having the slight upper hand due to having more experience.

In the offseason, Georgia has been very active in pursuit of a quarterback within the transfer portal but has not received a commitment. The Bulldogs are looking to add an experienced quarterback via the portal.

[lawrence-related id=110706,110676,110688]

Expect the Georgia quarterback battle to last throughout spring and possibly into fall camp.

Every Georgia football offensive player with eligibility left

Here are all of the Georgia football offensive players with eligibility remaining for 2025.

The Georgia Bulldogs season is over after their 23-10 loss to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Sugar Bowl. Now, Georgia must focus on an offseason with tons of questions, especially on offense. UGA’s offense struggled with turnings and running the ball in 2024.

Now, Georgia has to replace quarterback Carson Beck. The Bulldogs have several players with at least a year of eligibility left, but Georgia will have to find replacements for several key offensive players.

With that in mind, here are all the offensive players on Georgia’s roster that can play for the Bulldogs in 2025:

Italics indicate new recruit

Quarterbacks

Able to return: Gunner Stockton, Ryan Puglisi, Hezekiah Miller, Ryan Montgomery

Departures: Carson Beck (declared for NFL draft)

Undecided: Jaden Rashada (entered transfer portal)

Running Backs

Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Able to return: Trevor Etienne, Nate Frazier, Chauncey Bowens, Dwight Phillips Jr., Branson Robinson, Roderick Robinson, Cash Jones, Bo Walker

Wide Receivers

Able to return: Dillon Bell, Sacovie White, Nitro Tuggle, London Humphreys, Cole Speer, Tyler Williams, CJ Wiley, Talyn Taylor, Landon Roldan, Thomas Blackshear

Exceptions: Colbie Young (Diego Pavia ruling means he could get another year)

Departures: Dominic Lovett (out of eligibility), Arian Smith (Senior Bowl)

Transferring: Anthony Evans III, Rara Thomas, and Michael Jackson (all entered transfer portal)

Tight Ends

Able to return: Oscar Delp, Lawson Luckie, Jaden Redell, Colton Heinrich, Elyiss Williams, Ethan Barbour

Departures: Ben Yurosek (out of eligibility)

Offensive Lineman

Able to return: Monroe Freeling, Dylan Fairchild, Jared Wilson, Drew Bobo, Earnest Green III, Micah Morris, Nyier Daniels, Daniel Calhoun, Michael Uini, Bo Hughley, Jahzaree Jackson, Jamal Meriweather, Marques Easley, Malachi Toliver, Marcus Harrison, Dennis Uzochukwu, Juan Gaston Jr., Cortez Smith, Dontrell Glover, Mason Short

Departures: Tate Ratledge (accepted invitation to play in Senior Bowl), Xavier Truss (out of eligibility)

Takeaways from Georgia’s Sugar Bowl loss vs. Notre Dame

Four key takeaways from the Georgia Bulldogs season-ending loss to Notre Dame.

The Georgia Bulldogs entered the Sugar Bowl seemingly refreshed after a bye. Despite the struggles against weaker competition many times over the year, Georgia earned a first round bye thanks to winning the SEC championship against Texas.

Notre Dame looked like a dominant team in the weeks after losing to Northern Illinois in Week 2. The domination continued in the postseason, with the Fighting Irish erasing Indiana 27-17. Several media outlets, such as Aaron Murray and Joel Klatt, were expecting an intense and chippy game with only a few big plays separating the winning team.

Those people were right. Unfortunately, Georgia didn’t get any of those big plays. The Bulldogs lost to the Fighting Irish 23-10.

Fourteen of those points came from a kickoff return touchdown to open the second half and a 13-yard pass touchdown off a strip sack fumble to end the first half. Georgia lost this game on the trenches. The Bulldogs running game mustered up only 62 yards on 29 carries, while the Fighting Irish ran for 154 yards on 37 carries.

The pass blocking for Georgia was also abhorrent. The Notre Dame pass rush sacked Gunner Stockton four times, stripping the ball from him twice. Georgia was ineffective on third and fourth down, going 2/12 on third and 0/3 on fourth.

All this resulted in Notre Dame ending their 31-year major bowl skid and reaching the College Football Playoff semifinals to play Penn State. Notre Dame won despite being outgained.

Here are four Takeaways from Georgia’s 23-10 Sugar Bowl loss to notre dame:

Georgia was bullied on the trenches

A lot of people predicted that the offensive and defensive lines for each team would swing the pendulum in this game. Unfortunately, Georgia’s offensive line didn’t really show up. The mammoth UGA offensive line lost to the speedy Notre Dame pass rush with stunts and great scheming.

Monroe Freeling let up two strip sacks, and Xavier Truss let up two more sacks. Dylan Fairchild and Tate Ratledge were called for false start penalties in key situations. Overall, Notre Dame had 18 pressures and those pressures and sacks turned the game to Notre Dame.

Notre Dame played a clean game

To some, the final score could be considered deceiving. There was a 54-second span where Notre Dame scored 17 of their 27 points, so Georgia had plenty of time to get back in the game.

However, Notre Dame won this game due to bending but not breaking defensively. The Fighting Irish stopped Georgia from scoring on three drives that went to Notre Dame territory in the second half.

On offense, Notre Dame played a ball-control gameplay. The Fighting Irish had three more minutes of possession than Georgia, and it mostly came from the fourth quarter, where Notre Dame went on a monster seven-and-a-half minute drive to ice it. Notre Dame avoided turnovers and did not allow many big plays.

Gunner Stockton showed promise

If there’s one thing Georgia fans can be positive about, it’s that Gunner Stockton showed legitimate promise in this game.

People were worried about Stockton’s inexperience, thinking the Notre Dame defense would take advantage of it. However, Stockton, when not under pressure, played composed and made some great throws. He had almost as many passing yards as Notre Dame’s total yardage (234 to 240).

Stockton didn’t do the best job navigating pressure, which was evident when he was strip-sacked twice. Still, he was far from the reason Georgia lost this game. With Carson Beck out of the picture in 2025, he’ll more than likely be the starter for Georgia next year.

Some uncomfortable questions need to be asked about Mike Bobo

This loss spoke to a troubling trend with Georgia’s offense: without Ladd McConkey and Brock Bowers this year, they were merely average, and that is on Mike Bobo.

Georgia’s running game ranked 99th out of 132 FBS teams coming into this game. That’s the second lowest in the entire SEC for a group that thrived off the run offense historically.

Passing wise, the offense was 11th in yards, but the Bulldog receiving core also leads the nation in drops. UGA had a few drops in the Notre Dame game, including Dillon Bell’s big drop on a touchdown drive.

Mike Bobo couldn’t take advantage of the blitz looks Notre Dame brought on the defense and the Bulldogs failed to convert several short yardage situations. It remains to be seen on whether he stays or not, but the three-year offensive coordinator could be on the hot seat.

Kirby Smart talks Gunner Stockton’s Sugar Bowl performance

What Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said about Gunner Stockton’s first career start in the Sugar Bowl

Georgia Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart offered a mixed assessment when asked about quarterback Gunner Stockton’s first career start. Stockton and Georgia lost to Notre Dame, 23-10, in the Sugar Bowl. The Bulldogs trailed by at least 10 points throughout the entire second half, so Stockton was in obvious passing situations for much of the game.

Stockton and the Georgia offense moved the ball OK against a strong Notre Dame defense. Stockton completed 20 of 32 passes for 234 yards and a touchdown. He had a pair of fumbles (one lost) and had 10 rushes for negative 23 yards (includes yardage from four sacks). Stockton was not efficient as a runner, but he used his mobility well on several occasions.

“Gunner did some good things,” said Smart. “Any time you don’t have pass pro, it’s tough. He had some tough moments out there. When it’s your backside and you can’t see it coming, it’s tough.”

Georgia changed offensive tackles several times throughout the game. Left tackle Monroe Freeling gave up multiple sacks, and Georgia could not run the ball consistently. This game was not an ideal situation for Stockton’s first start.

[lawrence-auto-related count=2]

“I thought he tucked it down and ran. He got us out of a couple sacks with his feet and legs, threw the ball away. Did some good things there,” continued Smart. “But obviously it wasn’t enough with the two turnovers, and we’ve got to be better for sure.”

Georgia’s 2024 season is over. Will Georgia start Stockton next season? It is unclear right now, but we know Carson Beck intends to enter the 2025 NFL draft. As a result, Georgia is needs to figure out its quarterback room plan for the 2025 season. Stockton flashed the upside to be a starter.

Notre Dame vs. Georgia: Fourth-Quarter Analysis

Guys, the Irish won a major bowl game.

The fourth quarter of the Sugar Bowl was less about Notre Dame building its lead over Georgia than maintaining it. That meant defensive stops and some trickery by [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag]. To the Irish’s credit, it all worked out, and they’ll be going to the Orange Bowl to face Penn State in the College Football Playoff semifinals after a 23-10 victory.

[autotag]Mitch Jeter[/autotag] added onto the Irish’s score early in the quarter with a 47-yard field goal. The Bulldogs then embarked on a lengthy drive that should have ended sooner but for a questionable fourth-down pass interference call against [autotag]Jack Kiser[/autotag] that advanced the ball to the red zone. Fortunately, the Irish’s fourth-down stop on the subsequent series was not nullified by a penalty.

The Irish quickly were faced with a fourth down deep in their own territory, and that’s when Freeman reached into his magic bag. After the punt team came out, it ran off the field in place of the offense, forcing the Bulldogs to quickly replace their punt return team with their defense. [autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag] waited a long time to snap the ball, and right before he did, the Bulldogs jumped offsides, giving the Irish a crucial first down.

The Irish drove for the next five minutes until punting it away inside the two-minute timeout. The Bulldogs barely put up a fight on their final possession, and when [autotag]Donovan Hinish[/autotag] sacked Gunner Stockton on the last play, it was time to celebrate in New Orleans.

Remarkably, this historic Irish season will continue. Hope you still have another week’s worth of cheering in you.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on X: @gfclark89

Notre Dame vs. Georgia: Third-Quarter Analysis

Getting nervous?

(This story has been edited to update the photo.)

Notre Dame and Georgia have reached a point in the Sugar Bowl where they both are finding points. They both obviously understand the importance of that with the College Football Playoff. Only one can win though, and the Irish are doing that, 20-10, after three quarters.

The Irish’s decision to defer when they won the coin toss paid off when [autotag]Jayden Harrison[/autotag] returned the second-half kickoff for a 98-yard touchdown. That meant 17 unanswered points in less than a minute of game time going back to the end of the first half.

The teams then traded punts before the Bulldogs finally found the end zone on Gunner Stockton’s 32-yard pass to Cash Jones. This ended a drive that began with a brutal drop by an open Dillon Bell.

The Irish tried to get back momentum but just barely turned the ball over on downs at midfield, giving the Bulldogs a short field to try and get back within a score. But they went four-and-out, so the Irish had their own short field, albeit starting in their own territory.

The Irish ended the quarter in field-goal range, and hopes were high that they’ll add to their lead. Even if they somehow didn’t, the hope was they would at least keep their lead through four quarters.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on X: @gfclark89

Notre Dame vs. Georgia: First-Quarter Analysis

Nothing on the scoreboard so far.

(This story has been updated to add a photo.)

Did Notre Dame having to wait an extra day to play Georgia in the Sugar Bowl end up hurting? Objectively, it’s too soon to make that call. Still, Irish fans have to feel extremely fortunate that their team is in a scoreless tie with the Bulldogs after the first quarter.

The Irish barely have had the ball themselves, and the defense has featured a combination of bad penalties and allowing third-down conversions for Gunner Stockton, who barely has played this season compared to the injured Carson Beck. Were it not for [autotag]Adon Shuler[/autotag] forcing a Trevor Etienne fumble that [autotag]Jaiden Ausberry[/autotag] recovered, we might be talking about a different score.

Is it possible the injuries sustained to the Irish’s defensive line throughout the season finally have caught up with them? The Bulldogs came into this game with a much healthier offensive line that also happened to have a weight advantage on the Irish. That will be a concern all game.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on X: @gfclark89