Despite picking up 11 wins, the 2024 season was a disappointment for head coach Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs.
Coming off two national championships in 2021 and 2022, and a 13-1 2023, expectations were sky high for a Bulldog team ranked No. 1 in the AP’s preseason poll. Instead, the team matched their total loss total from the past three years before postseason play even began, losing at Alabama and Ole Miss in the regular season.
SEC Coaches Question Georgia’s 2025 Offense
Anonymous SEC coaches spoke to Athlon Sports this week, commenting on their opponents for the magazine’s 2025 College Football Preview.
The coaches had big questions about Georgia’s 2025 team, specifically at the quarterback position.
“All eyes are on the offense. They have questions at pretty much every position group here,” one coach said. “Is [Gunner] Stockton a legit QB1? Can they replace the offensive line? Can the receiving corps improve? Do they have a guy behind [Nate] Frazier in the backfield? Last season, they looked sort of muddled. Not bad, but you got the idea they weren’t confident in one particular area of their attack.”
Stockton is heading into his redshirt junior year at Georgia. After enrolling in 2022, he sat as a redshirt his true freshman season as the Bulldogs won a national championship.
In 2023, Stockton battled Carson Beck and Brock Vandagriff for the starting role. Beck won the position, with Vandagriff winning the backup job. Stockton saw very little play time, throwing for 148 yards, two touchdowns and one interception on 12-of-19 passing. He added 11 rushes for 63 yards on the ground.
In 2024, Vandagriff transferred to Kentucky, leaving the backup role in the hands of Stockton. He appeared in three games in the regular season, before Beck went down to injury in the 2024 SEC Championship Game.
Coming in after halftime as injury relief, Stockton threw for 72 yards and an interception, and Georgia won 22-19 in overtime. With Beck still out for the 2025 Sugar Bowl against Notre Dame, Stockton made his first career start, throwing for 234 yards and a touchdown in a 23-10 loss.
“The biggest question mark will be the offense under Stockton,” another coach said. “They didn’t chase any portal guys, so let’s see if the kid can become elite.”
Defensively, and on the front lines, the Bulldogs lost a slew of talent.
“Defensively, it’s still an elite group, but they’re thin at linebacker,” one coach said.
Linebackers Jalon Walker and Smael Mondon Jr. were both drafted in the 2025 NFL Draft, with Walker fresh off a 2024 Dick Butkus Award win. They were two of six Bulldogs drafted from the defensive side.
“I don’t think this is the same level of talent we’ve seen in the last three or four years. I think you might see a decline, at least at first, on both lines of scrimmage,” another coach said.
KEEP READING: Inside the 2017 Game That Launched Georgia’s National Powerhouse Era Under Kirby Smart
Three Bulldog offensive linemen were taken in the draft.
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