Matt Barrie explains why Gunner Stockton is the ‘perfect’ QB for Georgia
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Matt Barrie knows it won’t be easy for Gunner Stockton in 2025, but the ESPN college football analyst gave Georgia’s new starting quarterback a huge vote of confidence just a few weeks before the start of the season.
During an appearance on the Always College Football podcast with fellow analyst Greg McElroy, Barrie explained why he believes that Stockton can seamlessly replace Carson Beck, who transferred to Miami in the offseason. Stockton has limited playing experience after sitting behind Beck, appearing in just 5 games last season while throwing for a combined 440 yards and 1 touchdown.
When Beck suffered a season-ending injury in the SEC Championship Game against Texas, Stockton was forced into duty. He responded to the challenge, helping the Bulldogs outlast the Longhorns in overtime to nail down a College Football Playoff berth. But in the Playoff quarterfinal against Notre Dame, Stockton couldn’t get Georgia over the top, although he threw for 234 yards and 1 TD while completing 20 of 32 passes in the loss to the Fighting Irish.
That uneven Playoff performance didn’t stop Barrie from believing that Stockton could be a success in Athens in 2025.
“He seems perfect for Georgia. Georgia needs a blue-collar guy to lead their program. He seems like the guy who’s perfect because he’s got that blue-collar mentality,” said Barrie, comparing Stockton to Stetson Bennett, who led the Bulldogs to back-to-back national titles in 2021 and 2022.
Here is the clip of Barrie and McElroy breaking down Stockton:
By December or maybe even January, we’ll know if Barrie was right on the money regarding Stockton or slightly off.
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.
