Gunner Stockton addresses offseason criticism from Paul Finebaum

From the moment Carson Beck went down with an arm injury, there have been questions about the quarterback position for the Georgia Bulldogs. For the postseason, Gunner Stockton filled in to mixed results, but entered the offseason facing a quarterback competition.

Throughout the offseason, ESPN pundit Paul Finebaum has made one thing clear. He’s not impressed by Gunner Stockton. That criticism has been loud and frequent. So much so that head coach Kirby Smart let his quarterback know about it, and Stockton even addressed Finebaum’s feelings at SEC Media Days.

“I’m not a big social media guy,” Gunner Stockton said. “Yeah [it was on ESPN]. Seeing your coach kind of defend you makes you feel good, but I’m not really worried about what people say. So, just ready for the season. Can’t wait.”

Gunner Stockton initially came to Georgia as a four-star recruit in the Class of 2022. He was the 149th-ranked recruit and the ninth-ranked quarterback overall in that recruiting cycle. So, he has the pedigree as a recruit and the time to have learned the Georgia system.

One thing that Stockton doesn’t have is a ton of experience on the field. In nine career games, Stockton has completed 68.7 percent of his passes for 588 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. He also rushed for 50 yards. The vast majority of that playing time came following Beck’s injury, in the second half of the SEC Championship Game and one College Football Playoff game. He’d spark the Bulldogs to beat Texas and win the SEC for a conference championship, but the Notre Dame defense suffocated him in the Sugar Bowl to ultimately eliminate the Bulldogs.

Certainly, Paul Finebaum has been harsh on Gunner Stockton throughout the offseason. He’s described himself as being “underwhelmed” by the Georgia quarterback. Finebaum even went so far as to suggest that Georgia doesn’t have a quarterback, meaning not a capable one.

“It was a disappointing year and, as I say that, I’m like checking myself. Georgia won the SEC Championship but it still fell flat because they looked so bad against Notre Dame, completely blowing up in the final seconds of the first half and the opening stanza of the second half,” Finebaum previously said. “Kirby Smart needs to bounce back but I’m not sure it’s going to be easy because Gunner Stockton is not an elite quarterback. He’s serviceable and that is about it.”

Kirby Smart praises Gunner Stockton, how he handled being thrust into role in relief of Carson Beck

Despite that criticism from Paul Finebaum, Kirby Smart is proud of the job Gunner Stockton has done. He even made sure to praise him for how he filled in for Carson Beck.

“You just don’t ever know when your number is going to be called. The one thing that I really appreciate about Gunner, and most quarterbacks, is he prepared every game as if he was the starter. And people can say that and say this, coach speak, but he actually did it. He went in, watched extra tape, and he knew that, at any point in time, he could be called on that to go in the game and play,” Smart said.

“And, he didn’t go in a normal environment — you know, we got a big lead, maybe you’re beating an opponent — he went in against a top defense in the country, in one of the biggest games of the season, and performed well for a guy that had not gotten a lot of reps as the one. So I thought he handled that moment well, and he told a lot of our young players that you got to be prepared and ready.”