ATHENS — Freshman quarterback Ryan Puglisi spent the 2024 season low on the Georgia depth chart.
He was in line behind two players with starting experience — Carson Beck and Jaden Rashada — and a backup in his third season with the Bulldogs.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart revealed after the team’s win over Texas in the SEC Championship game Dec. 7, when Gunner Stockton stepped in for an injured Beck, that Puglisi would’ve been the next man up at quarterback. After that announcement, Rashada went into the transfer portal after not even a year in the program.
Puglisi has yet to throw a pass in a game for Georgia. Despite the lack of game reps, Puglisi feels he still learned a lot in his first season at Georgia.
“I think early on I was blessed with having great leaders like Gunner and Carson ahead of me and showed me how to take on these types of roles,” Puglisi told DawgNation at the Sugar Bowl. “I think they did a great job for me, showing me how to do it. Watching Gunner be a backup the whole entire time, doing everything the same exact way that Carson was. And I always followed along, kind of did the same exact thing, just in case.”
Puglisi was a 4-star quarterback, originally from Worchester, Massachusetts. With Beck moving on and Rashada likely no longer part of the picture, Puglisi and Stockton are the only quarterbacks on Georgia’s roster who have been with the program. Georgia signed four-star prospect Ryan Montgomery and three-star Hezekiah Millender as members of the 2025 recruiting class.
Stockton made his first career start against Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 2, throwing for 234 yards on 32 attempts and a touchdown. While he has an edge in experience over Puglisi, the starting job for 2025 is still up for grabs.
“With how we practice at University of Georgia, coach Smart is going to continue to try to develop (them),” Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said before the Notre Dame game. “So, you know, throughout this whole bowl practice, ones, twos, and three, three groups are going. So now you’ve only got less quarterbacks repping, so those guys are getting more reps. So they’re obviously going to help their development.”
When he was a prospect, Puglisi remained committed to Georgia even after the Bulldogs made it clear they were taking another quarterback. The Bulldogs had 5-star prospect Dylan Raiola committed, only for him to flip to Nebraska at the last minute.
Puglisi, in his second season, said he learned things this season that will help him as he continues to grow as a player.
“Honestly, probably connection. I think just being a part of this team with these guys, having love for guys, for a team. I mean, we talk about it all the time,” Puglisi said. “We need to just have the love for other people’s success. Being part of something that’s bigger than you, that’s been really cool for me.”
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