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Is This Year's Georgia Football Team the Most Doubted in the Kirby Smart Era?

Is the 2025 Georgia football team the most doubted in the Kirby Smart era?
Gage Fulford|
Georgia coach Kirby Smart celebrates after the winning the SEC championship game against Texas in Atlanta, on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. Georgia won 22-19.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart celebrates after the winning the SEC championship game against Texas in Atlanta, on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. Georgia won 22-19. | Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Georgia Bulldogs

Is the 2025 Georgia football team the most doubted in the Kirby Smart era?

Since taking the reins in Athens in 2016, Kirby Smart has built Georgia into a top powerhouse. SEC titles, College Football Playoff runs, and back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022 have solidified the Bulldogs as the standard in college football. But entering the 2025 season, there’s a different tone surrounding this Georgia team one of questions.

For the first time in years, some analysts are projecting a significant step back for the Bulldogs. A number of preseason predictions have Georgia finishing the regular season with a surprising 8-4 record, pinpointing potential losses to Alabama, Florida, Ole Miss, and Texas. These projections are a far cry from the dominance Georgia fans have grown accustomed to and mark a sharp shift in national confidence.

A large portion of that doubt centers around the quarterback position. Gunner Stockton, now expected to take the reins under center, has barely cracked the conversation in recent SEC quarterback rankings. In fact, in many preseason graphics, his name doesn’t even appear. The message? Analysts aren’t sold that Stockton is ready to lead a title-contending team. Questions about his development and whether he’s equipped to handle the pressure of big-time SEC football have only added fuel to the fire.

This uncertainty has spilled over to the fanbase. While Georgia supporters remain loyal, many are echoing the analysts’ concerns: Can this team rise to the occasion? Is the defense reloaded enough? Can Stockton silence the doubters?

Despite all the outside noise, Kirby Smart remains focused. In typical fashion, Smart has expressed confidence in his quarterback and the team’s overall direction. He acknowledged that Gunner Stockton is aware of the skepticism, but he also emphasized that Stockton is exactly where he needs to be in his development and that by the time kickoff arrives, the Dawgs will be ready.

In many ways, Georgia enters the season playing with house money. After years of dominance, the pressure has shifted elsewhere. But don’t mistake that for weakness. If history has taught us anything, it’s that doubting a Kirby Smart-led team rarely ends well for the doubters.

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Gage Fulford
GAGE FULFORD

As a writer for Sports Illustrated covering Georgia athletics, Gage aims to give you an honest, in-depth look at everything happening with Georgia sports. As a current high-school football coach Fulford a true passion for the team and a deep knowledge of the games. Whether it is a breakdown on action or providing insights you won’t find anywhere else.

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