Why Georgia's 2026 Football Season Does Not Rest on Gunner Stockton's Shoulders

Why Georgia's upcoming season does not rest on the shoulders of quarterback Gunner Stockton.

The Georgia Bulldogs kicked off spring practice last week and are getting prepared for the upcoming college football season. The Dawgs will have to replace some big contributors from last season, but they also return a good chunk of their roster.

One of the biggest names that is back for another season is quarterback Gunner Stockton. The 2025 season was his first year as the full-time starter and he helped lead the Bulldogs to an 11-1 regular season record, an SEC title and a college football playoff appearance.

Despite that success, though, there was still some meat left on the bone. Georgia failed to win a playoff game for the third season in a row and was eliminated from the playoffs in the quarterfinal round for the second year in a row.

Many media pundits have provided their thoughts on what it would take for Georgia to get back to the national title game, and often, the answer revolves around Stockton being better in 2026. Former Bulldog David Pollack recently gave his thoughts on the subject.

Georgia's National Title Hopes Don't Rest on Gunner Stockton's Shoulders

Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton (14) passes the ball during the Sugar Bowl and College Football Playoff quarterfinals at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La., on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. Ole Miss defeated Georgia 39-34. | Ayrton Breckenridge/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"If Gunner Stockton is the same quarterback he was a year ago, Georgia won't have a chance to win a natty," Pollack said on Aaron Murray's podcast. "They have no chance."

I think everyone would agree, including Stockton himself, that he does need to improve in some areas if Georgia wants to maximize the offense this year. More specifically, Georgia needs to be better in the explosive plays department this season. Head coach Kirby Smart said it himself during his opening spring presser last week.

However, that doesn't completely land on Stockton. Sure, he plays a role in that, but the offensive line has to protect long enough for Georgia to capitalize on those plays, the wide receivers and tight ends have to execute in those moments, and the run game has to be consistent enough to help open up the passing game.

With that said, Georgia's national title hopes don't completely rest on the shoulders of Stockton. In fact, recent college football history would tell you it has nothing to do with the offense at all.

The last three national title winners would indicate that the defense ultimately determines a team's odds of winning a national title. Indiana allowed 11.7 points per game in 2025, Ohio State allowed 12.9 points per game in 2024 and Michigan allowed just 10.4 points per game in 2023. Even both of Georgia's national titles came in seasons in which Georgia held opponents under 15 points per game.

On top of that, of the last three national title winners, their quarterbacks had five games combined in which they threw for 300 yards or more. Throwing your way to a national title has not been the recipe for quite some time.

So instead of saying Stockton needs to be better next season if Georgia wants to win a national title, it likely will come down to how good Georgia's defense is this season.

Does Stockton and the rest of the team need to improve this offseason? Yes. But Georgia's national title hopes do not rest on the shoulders of one player.