Paul Finebaum Names Major SEC QB He's Not 'Overly Confident' Can Lead Team to a Championship
Anticipation is building for the 2025 college football season, as teams aim to dethrone the Ohio State Buckeyes and secure the championship.
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The Georgia Bulldogs are among these contenders. After winning back-to-back championships in 2021 and 2022, they have not won a playoff game since then. This season, they hope to change their fortunes, but they'll have to do so without their star quarterback, Carson Beck.
Beck has decided to transfer to the Miami Hurricanes after the season, leaving Gunner Stockton as the new starting quarterback. Stockton had limited playing time last season, and some have begun to doubt his ability to lead Georgia to another championship.
One of those skeptics is ESPN's Paul Finebaum, who expressed his concerns on "The Paul Finebaum Show," stating that he is not convinced Stockton can guide Georgia to a title.
Jan 2, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Gunner Stockton (14) drops back to pass against against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the second half at Caesars Superdome.Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
"I know there's a recruit coming in next year that everybody's excited about," Finebaum said. "But there's a lot of conversation that it's not only Gunner Stockton, and I hope it's not only Gunner Stockton because I'm still not overly confident that he can lead Georgia to a championship."
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Stockton enters the 2025 season with limited playing time, having appeared in only five games last season. In those appearances, he passed for a total of 440 yards and one touchdown, with most of his action taking place during the last game and a half of the season after Beck suffered a season-ending injury.
While his numbers weren't eye-popping, he played a critical role in leading the Bulldogs to an overtime victory against the Texas Longhorns in the SEC Championship Game after taking over for Beck, who was injured in the first half. The Bulldogs won the game 22-19, thanks to Stockton's tough eight-yard run on second and eight at the 12-yard line during overtime. On the following play, Trevor Etienne rushed in for the winning touchdown from four yards out.
However, the playoffs did not go as well against Notre Dame, as Georgia lost 23-10 and struggled offensively for most of the game. Stockton completed 20-of-32 passes for 234 yards and one touchdown.
A key moment occurred when he fumbled the ball with 33 seconds left in the first half. He was sacked for a loss of 12 yards, and Notre Dame recovered the fumble. At that moment, the Bulldogs were trailing 6-3. The Fighting Irish then scored just one play later and returned the second-half kickoff for a touchdown, extending their lead to 20-3.
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Now, Stockton will have to shake that performance off as he's set to have a full season as the starter, with hopes of leading Georgia back to national championship glory.
Related: Paul Finebaum Names Major College Football QB He's Not Confident In
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
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