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Georgia’s 2026 Offensive Identity Starts With Trusting Gunner Stockton
By: Greg Poole
The main difference between this Georgia offense and last year’s version? Stockton was a first-year starter in 2025, and Georgia handled him accordingly. The Bulldogs leaned on the run game, gave him manageable reads, and tried to avoid the kind of mistakes that can derail a championship run. Stockton answered with a 69.7 percent completion rate, 24 touchdowns to five interceptions, and 462 rushing yards with 10 scores. He was productive, efficient, and, perhaps most importantly, reliable.
Now the next step arrives.
Bobo said last week that Georgia wants Stockton to be more aggressive pushing the ball downfield, which the staff expects will come with experience. He also pointed out the balancing act. Stockton’s low interception total was a clear strength, but an offense does not become more explosive without sometimes asking the quarterback to attempt tougher throws. The goal is not to be reckless, but to find the right moments for calculated aggression.
That could become the defining feature of Georgia’s offense this fall: the same physical foundation, but with fewer training wheels. Georgia saw last season that Stockton can handle responsibility. Now the question is how much more he can create.
Nobody should expect Bobo to abandon the run. He made it clear that Georgia’s commitment to running the football remains unchanged under Kirby Smart, and for good reason. Georgia improved to 182.1 rushing yards per game last season, and Stockton’s legs are part of that total. His ability to escape pressure, convert short-yardage situations, and punish defenses that lose contain gives Bobo an option he did not always have with previous Georgia quarterbacks. His toughness is an asset; it should not become an offensive philosophy. Bobo has talked about teaching Stockton to extend plays more safely, keep his eyes downfield and understand when the spectacular throw is available — and when it is not. That is a meaningful distinction for a quarterback whose instinct is often to fight for one more second and one more yard.
The bigger question is what surrounds him.
Georgia lost most of its proven receiving production, including Zachariah Branch, Dillon Bell, Noah Thomas, and Colbie Young. Bobo said the Bulldogs are still sorting out who deserves touches and which personnel groupings fit the roster best. That suggests more tight-end usage, where Lawson Luckie and the rest of the group bring more experience. It could also make Stockton’s development even more important. A veteran quarterback can help inexperienced receivers by getting the offense into the right play, throwing with anticipation, and creating something when the original design breaks down.
That is where Bobo’s 2026 offense could look different without changing its core identity.
Georgia will still want to run the ball. The offense will still value possession, field position, and avoiding giveaways. It will still be flexible enough to change personality from week to week. The ceiling, though, could rise if Stockton is given more freedom to attack defenses instead of simply managing them.
The Bulldogs spent 2025 learning they could win with Gunner Stockton at quarterback. In 2026, the next step is to see how much they can win because of him.
ICYMI: Kirby Smart and Player Interviews/Transcript
Opening Statement…
“Shout out to one of the most iconic Bulldogs of all time and also a good friend of mine. Loran Smith is going to be inducted into the Georgia Radio Hall of Fame this weekend. The guy has been representing Georgia for more than 60 years, and he’s done an incredible job of doing that. I know he and Mrs. Myrna will enjoy this moment. There is a hallway entrance here at the University that recognizes both Loran and Myrna, and they’ve done so much for Georgia in terms of fundraising, as well as being a track captain. He’s been a man of many hats, and he’s been a good friend of mine. I’m really happy for him. He’s done so many things. He’s ultimately a true DGD, and I want to congratulate him from the football program on that honor.
The other note would be the Georgia Women’s Soccer upcoming match. I hope everyone is aware that we’re getting ready to break an NCAA record and we can’t do that without everyone’s support. I know our entire team will be there in attendance, as well as all the student-athletes at the University of Georgia over in the West End Zone. They’ll be there to support the women’s soccer program and hopefully watch a tremendous match against JMU. I’m excited for that opportunity. I think it’s awesome that Keidane [McAlpine] and his staff have decided to challenge our fan base to do something that hasn’t been done and break a record that hopefully we can do tomorrow night. I’m looking forward to that hopefully breaking that record tomorrow night.”
On Justice Fitzpatrick…
“He has been cleared and he’s working every day. He has been in all of our meetings and does all walk-throughs and movement skills. He has not done lab tackling yet, like some of our other guys have done, but I don’t have a true timeline of that.”
On the receiver group…
“They work tremendously hard each day. I think they’ve had a good camp as a group. A lot of the time, the quarterbacks and the offensive line make your receivers. Receivers don’t get to go out and have success on their own. They have to have a lot of things happen to have the success they want to have. They have to take advantage of opportunities they get, and they have to go against good people in competition. I am pleased with their work habits and what they are doing. I wouldn’t say anybody in the room is dominating me by any means. There are young players, like first- and second-year players, that are coming on fast, and there are older players who are leading well and doing a tremendous job for us. So I am very pleased with everyone.”
On Drew Bobo…
“He practiced yesterday all day and took every rep. He did great.”
On the defense’s performance in Saturday’s scrimmage…
“Saturday was hard to say anything showed. It was hot on the field. It showed mental fortitude and mental toughness. It showed how we practice in our program. We go out in the heat probably more than most and we condition our team that way. I’ve been through 33 first scrimmages. I’ve seen it all. I’m not ready to say that the line gets ready to rush for four and get there every time, I certainly hope they can. But I didn’t see any indication that that was the case from what I saw Saturday.”
On Gunner Stockton’s growth through the summer into fall camp…
“Gunner has improved immensely. I don’t think that it is in one area. I think it’s confidence, mental capacity to handle a lot of information at once, process that information, and yet still make good decisions. Confidence in the pocket and his movement skills in the pocket have improved. His awareness of protections has improved. His ability to handle the pressure of the shot clock, a nine-word call, the defenses throwing at him, and getting people lined up has improved. He’s done some good things this camp. You can see his growth in a lot of areas. Some of it is leadership, some of it is mentorship, and some of it is just throwing ability and getting the ball down field. So, I’m pleased with Gunner’s growth and really pleased with his work ethic.”
On Craig Dandridge…
“Craig’s great. He is continuing to work to get better and is working day in and day out.”
On what he wants from the running back room…
“I want someone that is a really good pass receiver, really intelligent, savvy, and instincts are more important. You’d say protection’s the number one thing, but of all the third down snaps we have, I bet 10 or 15% of them end up having to block somebody on them. So it’s not the most important thing. It’s more important that you catch the ball, you understand the routes, you know the protections. You can get yourself out when the quarterback changes the protection. A lot of it goes into being a third-down back, which is why Cash [Jones] was so good at it. And we’ve been a pretty good third-down team over the last five years, on average. We’ve been good, and we will continue to be good on third down. It starts with being in third and short and medium, and not third and all. But as far as who that back will be, nobody has stood out. Nobody has taken that role and said, ‘Okay, I can do this to a level Cash [Jones] did or better in terms of protection, catching the ball out of backfield, instincts. There’s so much that goes into that. That’s still an open position grouping, really. Not the whole back, but the third-down back.”
On the depth and development of the quarterback room…
“I’m pleased with their growth, as well as Bryson [Beaver], who has done a good job for a guy that’s new, and then Buddha [Hezekiah Millender] as well. They’ve all gotten good work. They’ve gotten quality reps. Gunner’s [Stockton] probably taken fewer this year than he did last year. He still takes substantially more than most, but he’s been able to kind of delegate some of those reps out to other guys, which has helped us develop him. The conditions in the scrimmage the other day were tough. They weren’t conducive to being able to throw the ball on time. I’ve experienced enough, being 50 years old, that there comes a time in the scrimmage when it’s hard to throw it because there’s so much humidity and moisture in the air. We didn’t stop because of that. We kept doing it. It’s good to be able to overcome some of those hurdles that you get. Sometimes you grow from those, and you get to rub their nose in it, and you get better from it. All in all, I was pleased with that effort in the scrimmage. There are a lot of areas we can improve on. We’re not near where we need to be yet, but I was pleased with the effort of the guys.”
On Jontae Gilbert…
“Jontae’s [Gilbert] working really hard. He gives us a big physical presence. He has great size. He plays probably more boundary corner than field, which he tends to get more contact and touching all the receivers and the more physical aspect of it. He’s a solid worker. He works hard, and that group has really competed hard during camp, and they’re trying to get better. They’re trying to get better each and every day in that room. That room’s no different than the other rooms. I’ve been really pleased with Jontae’s progress.”
On Juan Gaston throughout fall camp…
“In the camp window, I would say his stamina needs to improve. He has to be able to play more snaps. He has to have better stamina, and I’ve addressed that with him. I told him, you can do one or two things. You can read what people write about you, or you can listen to what your coaches tell you and listen to the truth. We’re very honest with him. To be able to start and play down in, down and out, he’s got to get in better shape and be able to sustain. Not only him, but several guys have also got to be able to play winning football. You’ve got to be able to play for an eight, ten-play drive in a row, and part of doing that is putting the pads on and going out and doing it. You can work out with Coach Sinclair all summer. You can run all summer, but that doesn’t mean you’re prepared to go out to Sanford Stadium and play a ten-play drive when it’s 110 degrees. We’re not where we need to be in regard to that. That’s not directly at Juan [Gaston], as much as it is everybody as a group. I enjoy coaching Juan. Juan loves football. Juan goes out to work each and every day. He’s got the flexibility to kick in from tackling the guard. He’s a good athlete. He likes practice. He likes football, and it’s fun to be around him. We’ve got to keep getting better.”
On Cortez Smith’s development…
“It’s been a really tough competition for him [Cortez Smith] and Malachi [Toliver]. I called it from the back of the center spot. They both had goods and bads, and they both have to keep improving. Drew [Bobo] wasn’t able to make it through the year last year with the tough injury he had, and those guys had to step up and play. We need him to be ready to go this year. He’s got the flexibility of kicking out and playing some guard. I think that will make him a better center.”
On adjusting his coaching style with the changing times…
“I don’t specifically think that we’ll be changing how we practice or the intensity with which we practice. We have changed our format somewhat. We took a different approach this year with three on, one off, three on, one off, three on, scrimmage, one off, three on, three on, one off. When I say one off, it’s a practice walkthrough, corrections, slow it down. Some of our practices have been just like they have in the past, while some of them have been dialed back in terms of trying to load twos and threes with more reps. There’s not one camp we’ve had that’s been the same. We don’t do the exact same thing every camp. We try to cater it to what we need in terms of the position groups, the depth, the development, the season, the order of the season, the number of SEC games, who do we play first. There are a lot of things that change within that, and I just think you have to change how you do things sometimes with these kids because they can get bored.”
On the UGA Skull Olympics…
“Skull groups are represented by an equal number of each position group, so it’s a cross-section of the team. They were asked to deliberate separately and come up with their choice of who would do each event. We chose the events, and they chose who did them. There is some strategy and there is some task cohesion within choosing who does what in order to give your best chance to win. I think that’s important because they have to make decisions that the coaches have to make in terms of deciding what each guy does best. They are not necessarily doing what you want to do, but they are doing what is best for the team. They were fun, and I’m glad we did them. I’m glad that the NCAA put a mandated day off in there that we had to acknowledge and that we were able to do something related to team bonding on that day as opposed to practicing. They did a good job.”
On Chris Cole…
“His leadership is what we need most. He’s one of the few players that I think can sustain right now in the way he practices. He practices with such max effort that he conditions himself through practice so that the next day he can go further. He’s just like a rubber band. He just keeps expanding and he gets more elasticity as he goes and can stretch himself longer. We’re trying to be smart with him too because he’s playing winning football and we want to keep him healthy. Number two, we want to keep him fresh, and we want to keep the weight on him. He’s been a tremendous leader and he works really hard. He’s one of the hardest working guys on the team.”
On the DB transfers…
“The guys that have come in have done a great job acclimating. I think the players here have done a better job teaching them the standard. I don’t think each one of them has played to the toughness level in terms of doing the things you want to do, but we’re trying to integrate them into our culture, and they’re getting better at it. They’ve all been through the spring and are into the fall now. They’re doing a better job of meeting that standard, and they’re certainly going to provide us much-needed depth, and a couple of them will have chances to play in roles that we have in our defense.”
On Ellis Robinson IV and his development…
“I think the number one thing for Ellis to focus on is Ellis. Sometimes he is so competitive, and I put Demello [Jones] in the same category, that they get down on themselves. We’ve talked a lot about the mental training and the mental dynamic of giving up a pass play, whether it’s a touchdown or a hitch. They get frustrated, and you can’t do that. Today, people can throw and catch the ball well, so they’re going to hit some back shoulders, and they’re going to hit things on you. It’s good for them to experience some failure and have to overcome that because I’ve never seen a corner that just shuts everybody out.”
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