Gunner Stockton receives national top QB honor for thrilling comeback at Tennessee
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Gunner Stockton got his first signature victory as the starting quarterback at Georgia, leading the Bulldogs to a thrilling comeback victory at Tennessee last Saturday.
Three days later, the junior signal-caller was rewarded with one of the highest weekly honors a quarterback can receive. He was named the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback of the Week on Tuesday for that heroic performance in Knoxville.
Facing a 21-7 deficit after the 1st quarter as Rocky Top was rocking at Neyland Stadium, Stockton calmly led the 6th-ranked Bulldogs all the way back against the 15th-ranked Volunteers. It took overtime, but Stockton was the one smiling at the end, not Tennessee counterpart Joey Aguilar, as Georgia danced off with a 44-41 victory to remain undefeated.
Stockton as 23 of 31 for 304 yards passing with 2 touchdown passes and 0 interceptions, and he also hurt Tennessee with his legs, rushing for 38 yards and a rushing TD. After taking over for an injured Carson Beck late last season, this fall was finally Stockton’s time, and he came up huge in Georgia’s first big game of 2025.
The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award social media account celebrated Stockton with this post:
Georgia moved up to No. 5 in the latest AP Poll thanks to Stockton’s poise under pressure, and now the Bulldogs will enjoy a bye week before Stockton faces his next big challenge — a home primetime showdown against No. 14 Alabama on Sept. 27.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
