Ken Ruinard / staff, The Greenville News via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Paul Finebaum Names Major SEC QB Who is 'Middle of the Pack'

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jaron Spor | Last updated Aug 6, 2025 5:00 PM ET

The Georgia Bulldogs, led by Kirby Smart, kicked off the decade with back-to-back national championships, seemingly establishing themselves as the new dynasty of college football. However, since then, Georgia has not been able to secure a win in the College Football Playoff.

For the last two seasons, the Bulldogs were led by quarterback Carson Beck, who had impressive statistics, throwing for 7,426 yards, 52 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. After the 2024 season, Beck announced that he would transfer to the Miami Hurricanes, leaving Georgia with a new starting quarterback for 2025.

That new quarterback is Gunner Stockton. On "The Paul Finebaum Show," the analyst from the SEC Network discussed Stockton’s ranking among the conference's quarterbacks.

"I don't rank him really high," Finebaum said. "I think he's middle of the pack. Maybe middle to lower of the pack. He could go higher. That's a cliche, but I'm telling you that anyway, and ultimately he has a lot to prove."

Gunner Stockton's Limited Experience Leaves Room for Growth

Stockton enters the 2025 season with limited playing experience, having participated in only five games last season. During those games, he passed for a total of 440 yards and one touchdown, with most of his contributions coming during the SEC Championship Game victory and the College Football Playoff loss after starter Beck suffered a season-ending injury.

Stockton played a crucial role in leading the Bulldogs to an overtime victory against the Texas Longhorns, securing the SEC title after stepping in for Beck, who was injured in the first half. The Bulldogs won the game 22-19, highlighted by Stockton’s 8-yard run on second-and-8 at the 12-yard line during overtime. On the next play, Trevor Etienne rushed in for the game-winning touchdown.

In the playoff quarterfinals, Georgia faced a tough matchup against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, losing 23-10 while struggling offensively throughout the game. Stockton completed 20 of 32 passes for 234 yards and one touchdown.

Paul Finebaum Doesn't Think Gunner Stockton Can Lead Georgia to a National Championship

While Stockton showed some potential last season, Finebaum doubts whether he is capable of leading Georgia to a national championship for the first time since 2022.

“My answer is no,” Finebaum previously said. “I don’t have a lot of faith in Gunner Stockton. The better question is, do I have more faith in Gunner Stockton today than I did in Stetson Bennett four or five years ago? I probably do. So, it’s proven that Georgia, if it has an elite defense and enough complements on offense, can get there.”

Finebaum wants to see more from Stockton to evaluate if Georgia can become an elite team in 2025 or if the Bulldogs are merely a good team that cannot win a national championship.

Georgia will open the season against the Marshall Thundering Herd at 3:30 p.m. ET Aug. 30.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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