Why Gunner Stockton's Latest NIL Deal Should Provide Hope For College Football Fans

Why Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Gunner Stockton's latest NIL deal should provide hope for all college football fans.

College football has undergone some incredibly massive changes over the last five years that has resulted in a completely new era of the game. Outside what takes place on Saturday's, the sport has become unrecognizable for many.

These changes mainly stem from the NIL and transfer portal landscape, where players utilize leverage to negotiate bigger deals, be tampered with by other teams, and can transfer to the highest bidder seemingly at any moment.

The "wild west" style of player acquisition has scared of a plethora of college football fans, stating that the corruption and lack of passion for one's team has made college football unwatchable. TO some degree they may have a point.

In today's era of college football, players that genuinely love the school they are playing for seem few and far between, as playing for whoever will pay the most money seems to be the motivation of most players. The numerous departures and acquisitions to the roster has made it hard for fans to feel connected to players on a personal level.

But this is not the case for every player. In fact, there are still a handful of collegiate athletes that are playing the game because they love their team. Perhaps the best example of this is Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Gunner Stockton.

Gunner Stockton Is A Rarity in Today's College Football

Nov 15, 2025; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Gunner Stockton (14) celebrates in the second half against the Texas Longhorns at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Stockton was a member of the Bulldogs' 2022 recruiting class and patiently sat on the bench for the first 3 years of his career. During that time, the quarterback never once flirted with the transfer portal. Fast-forward to now, Stockton is fresh off a fantastic 2025 season where he led the Bulldogs to an SEC Championship victory and College Football Playoff appearance.

With such a fantastic season in 2025, Stockton has understandably become one of the more recognizable names in the SEC, which likely means he has become a much more expensive asset for the Dawgs. However, his price tag is not nearly what it should be.

Earlier this week, Stockton's agent reported that the quarterback could have made "two to three times more" had he elected to demand more from Georgia or enter the transfer portal. However, the quarterback "bleeds red and black" and never considered doing either.

It was also revealed that Stockton waited for the transfer portal window to close before signing his new deal, in order to ensure that Georgia was able to acquire as much talent as possible as opposed to spending millions on his contract.

This drives home the sentiment that Stockton is not only a team player that cares more about winning than dollar signs, but also proves that he is one of the few players that is playing for their team genuinely because they love their school.

In a world where college athletes seem more driven by money than any, passion for a school seems to be at an all-time low. However, players such as Gunner Stockton provide hope for many that perhaps not all college athletes are as concerned with monetary compensation as one might think. Even if they have become an exception.