Georgia's Gunner Stockton Excluded from Elite Tier of College Football QB Rankings

The 2026 college football season features one of the deepest groups of starting quarterbacks in recent memory.

The NCAA transfer portal has given programs an opportunity to add proven starters to replace old ones, making it tough to skip a beat at the position. Exorbitant NIL payouts are keeping players in college longer, leading to more experienced quarterbacks across the sport.

Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton is among the most intriguing returning starters in the country. The 6-foot-1, 215-pounder is coming off a 2025 season in which he threw for 2,894 yards, 24 touchdowns and five interceptions while guiding the Bulldogs to a second consecutive College Football Playoff appearance.

Stockton's 2025 campaign was an eye-opener for both Georgia fans and the rest of the college football world. His performances in the second half of the 2024 SEC Championship game and 2025 Sugar Bowl, coupled with Georgia's offensive deficiencies in 2024, forced many to wonder if the offense could move forward in 2025.

Not only did Stockton elevate the Bulldogs' passing attack, but he also displayed grit and determination with his dual-threat capabilities, often receiving vicious hits from defenders in the process. Stockton earned All-SEC Third Team honors at the conclusion of the 2025 regular season.

Even though Stockton has separated himself as one of the best quarterbacks in college football, not everyone believes he is among the upper echelon of signal-callers in the sport.

David Cobb of CBS Sports released tiers of college football quarterbacks on Thursday. Stockton made Cobb's tier of "All-conference caliber vets" but missed out on the "Obvious Heisman Candidates" tier.

Which quarterbacks made the Obvious Heisman Candidate tier over Stockton?

Dante Moore in the 2026 Peach Bowl. — Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore (5) draws back to pass Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, during the Peach Bowl and semifinal game of the College Football Playoff against the Indiana Hoosiers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. | Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In the SEC, Trinidad Chambliss of Ole Miss and Arch Manning of Texas made Cobb's top tier ahead of Stockton. Chambliss and Stockton's duel in the 2026 Sugar Bowl makes a firm case for Chambliss, and Manning's strong end to 2025 should serve as a springboard into 2026.

Four Big Ten quarterbacks made the tier of obvious Heisman candidates: Dante Moore (Oregon), Julian Sayin (Ohio State), Josh Hoover (Indiana) and Jayden Maiava (USC).

Moore projects as a potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2027 NFL draft, and Fernando Mendoza's transformation into a Heisman winner in Curt Cignetti's offense makes a strong case for Hoover.

The cases for Sayin and Maiava over Stockton feel weaker. Sayin has a year of starting experience under his belt and was invited to the Heisman Trophy ceremony in 2025, but he did not shine in the moments where the Buckeyes needed him most.

Maiava is on Lincoln Riley's strongest USC roster, but if 2026 is another season where the Trojans fail to break through their toughest regular-season tests, how much of a Heisman candidate is Maiava?

CJ Carr of Notre Dame and Darian Mensah of Miami are Cobb's other two obvious Heisman candidates. Carr's freshman campaign with the Fighting Irish was outstanding, but similar to 2025, the Fighting Irish's case as a College Football Playoff participant and Carr's case as a Heisman candidate will come down to their performances in two games.

Mensah showcased the ability to improve his surroundings at Tulane and Duke. However, transferring to Miami will force him to showcase his ability in the national spotlight, one he never ventured into with the Green Wave or Blue Devils.

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