ATLANTA — As Gunner Stockton takes over full time as Georgia‘s quarterback this season, Kirby Smart said he’s eager for Stockton to show his “entire repertoire.”

And while there might be some doubters outside the walls of Georgia’s locker room about Stockton’s ability to lead the Bulldogs back into championship contention, Smart is more than just a little bullish on his redshirt junior.

“He’s got winner written all over him,” Smart said Tuesday. “He plays baseball growing up his whole life. He’s a winner. He plays football his whole life. He’s a winner. Everything he’s done, he’s been a winner, and in this day and age of college football, that guy is really critical. He’s the most critical position piece, but [Stockton’s] mental makeup and the way he manages the room with kids making a lot of money and the way he manages a lot of personalities and dynamics in a locker room that before the quarterback didn’t have to manage … I think he’s extremely respected by his teammates.”

Stockton came off the bench in the second half in the SEC championship game last season when Carson Beck was injured and helped lead Georgia to a 22-19 overtime win against Texas. Stockton got his first career start a month later in a 23-10 loss to Notre Dame in the quarterfinal round of the playoffs. It was his first meaningful action since arriving on campus in 2022.

Smart shrugs and so does Stockton at some of the outside criticism and those suggesting that Stockton isn’t the answer for the Bulldogs.

“If anything, it motivates him,” Smart said. “He’s just a small-town country kid who loves Georgia. His sister’s name is Georgia, and he grew up loving it. He’s a lot better than people give him credit for, and he’s got to prove that on the field.”

More than feeling pressure, Stockton said he is grateful for this opportunity. He set Georgia state high school records for career passing touchdowns (177) and rushing touchdowns (77) while playing for Jaybo Shaw, the older brother of former South Carolina quarterback Connor Shaw, at Rabun County High in the Georgia mountains.

“A lot of people would be grateful to be in this seat,” Stockton said. “Truthfully, I don’t care what people say about me. But sometimes I look for something to fuel me a little bit, just to say, ‘All right, I’m going to prove you wrong.’ But if you listen to too much of that, you’d be going down a rabbit hole.”

It wasn’t too long ago that many were doubting whether Stetson Bennett was Georgia’s answer at quarterback, and he led the Bulldogs to back-to-back national championships.

“Absolutely, he shouldn’t have been starting. At least, that’s what everybody said,” Stockton joked.

Stockton’s teammates love his consistency on and off the field.

“Gunner has been here. He’s been prepping, and I look at him as the starter as long as I’ve been here,” Georgia linebacker CJ Allen said. “It’s just the way he handles his business, and he’s got all the tools he needs, and whether they talk good about him or bad about him, he’s exactly the same way.”

Georgia has lost 31 players to the NFL draft over the past three years, not to mention a bevy of players via the transfer portal. That kind of attrition has a way of catching up with even the elite programs that recruit and develop the way Georgia does.

In other words, Smart said a lot of what happens in 2025 will boil down to how the Bulldogs play around Stockton.

“I think our offensive line is going to be key,” Smart said. “We have a lot of new parts there, and obviously [Stockton] playing well and distributing the ball will be key, but we have talented players around him.”

Smart’s vibe on this team is a little different than it was this time a year ago.

“It’s just new, and I feel like last year’s team was old and very experienced,” Smart said. “I’m not going to say super talented, but old and very experienced. And then this year’s team is young, exuberant, excited, they want to go to practice. So many guys are getting their first shot, so they’re bought in and they’re on the edge of their seat, but they don’t have the experience of the other teams.

“So we’re going to be a trial-by-fire, adjust-on-the-run group.”