ATHENS — Zachariah Branch knew to pay close attention to Gunner Stockton.
When the transfer wide receiver visited Georgia in December, he figured that if ultimately he were to play for the Bulldogs, he likely would be catching passes from Stockton.
To that point, Stockton was fresh off Georgia’s SEC Championship game win over Texas. With Carson Beck out because of injury, Stockton took all the first-team reps in the buildup to Georgia’s game against Notre Dame. Branch visited during one of those practices and saw enough to like his future at Georgia.
Since getting to spend more time with Stockton this spring, the transfer receiver feels even better about his decision to transfer to Georgia.
“I knew he was a dog since we, you know, started off in the workouts,” Branch said. “I can tell easily from, you know, the work ethic and how you prepare yourself to go out there and be the best version of yourself.”
The best version of Stockton likely is Georgia’s best option at quarterback in 2025. He has a considerable edge in experience in Georgia’s system over Ryan Puglisi.
Behind the redshirt freshman, the only scholarship quarterbacks on the roster are freshmen Ryan Montgomery and Hezekiah Millender.
The former is recovering from an ACL injury this spring. The latter is very much learning on the job as far as what it looks like to be a college quarterback.
“There’s a lot of information coming at him and Colter (Ginn) and even Ryan for that matter in meetings. But I like Buddha (Millender)’s attitude,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “It’s easy for a freshman quarterback, who, to live in a moment of like, what am I doing here? Am I out of place? And the analogy of drinking water through a fire hose comes to mind when you think of a freshman quarterback. And we’re just trying to taper down that water pressure.”
Stockton to this point can handle that hose like the most veteran of firemen.
His goals are different this spring. He knows the offense. He knows the playbook.
As Branch demonstrates, he’s also gone the extra step to better understand the surrounding cast around him.
Not just newcomers like Branch, but veterans such as offensive lineman Micah Morris.
“I’ve known Gunner since he first got up here,” Morris said. “I’ve blocked for him, whether it was practice or in game. Just seeing him just become more confident behind the line of scrimmage, just trusting the big guys. Just seeing him grow as a person, just him maturing himself has been something awesome to see.”
Morris is the oldest member of Georgia’s team, and the last remaining signee from Georgia’s 2021 recruiting class. He’s the lone member on the team to have played on both national championship teams.
The hope is that Stockton can pilot Georgia to a championship this season. He’ll have to improve in a number of areas following his first career start against Notre Dame.
He threw for 234 yards and a touchdown in the loss, while also having a fumble. Given Georgia’s lack of depth behind Stockton, the Bulldogs may not be all that keen on running Stockton all that often.
That’ll make it even more imperative for the fourth-year quarterback to win with his mind in terms of making pre-play checks and his arm.
“I see a lot of a more talkative Gunner. He’s very mature. He’s taking action, he’s being a leader, he’s putting guys where they need to be,” wide receiver Dillon Bell said. “I like what I’m seeing from him, yeah, I really love what I see. He’s picking up where he left off in the Notre Dame game.”
Stockton will have to play better than he did in the loss against Notre Dame if he is to accomplish his ultimate goal of winning a championship. He knows that, just as those around him know they’ll have to elevate their games given Stockton is far from a proven entity at this point.
For Morris and Bell, that means stepping into larger roles. No longer will they be bit players but key reasons for Georgia’s success or failure.
The presence of Stockton also is why Georgia went out and added Branch. He’s one of six transfers the Bulldogs have added this offseason. He and Texas A&M transfer Noah Thomas should give Stockton two more important additions at wide receiver.
Stockton wasn’t operating with a full deck in the loss to Notre Dame. Having Branch should make things easier for the Georgia quarterback.
Not that Stockton is interested in taking the easy way to the top. Based on everything Branch and his Georgia teammates have seen from Stockton thus far, they know he’s willing to put in the work.
“When we’re doing conditioning, he’s really trying to win, trying to push himself to be the best version of himself, and that’s what I like to surround myself around,” Branch said. “So, you know, me and Gunner, we clicked off, you know, pretty early, got a chance to get on the same page, ran some routes on our own time just to get that chemistry down. He’s been a real help for me in this offense as well, too.”
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