Gunner Stockton is set, but Georgia’s targets face the heat
Kirby Smart backed his quarterback and Mike Bobo at SEC Media Days as Georgia looks to replace most of its top pass-catching production.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
Gunner Stockton took the dangerous seat on a Georgia whitewater rafting trip, and Kirby Smart used the moment to sum up why the Bulldogs have no quarterback drama.
Speaking Tuesday at SEC Media Days, Smart said the redshirt senior volunteered for the front of the raft after a guide warned that the spot came with the hardest bumps, splashes and chance of being tossed out, according to CBS Sports.
"I think that says a lot about who he is," Smart said, per CBS Sports. "He leads from the front. He takes hits, he embodies everything our program is about in toughness, in culture, in the love for his university."
The bigger issue for Georgia is who Stockton will be throwing to in 2026.
Georgia must replace a lot of catches
CBS Sports reported that Stockton is losing six of his top seven pass catchers from a Georgia team that went 12-2, won the SEC Championship and then lost to Ole Miss in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Sugar Bowl.
The most glaring exit is Zachariah Branch, now with the Atlanta Falcons. According to CBS Sports, Branch led the SEC with 81 receptions and paced Georgia with six touchdown catches.
Georgia’s offense used to scare teams with chunk plays. CBS Sports noted the Bulldogs ranked in the national top 10 in plays of at least 20 yards from 2021 through 2023, a run that included a 42-2 record and two national titles.
That pop is now the mystery. Georgia has not reached a national semifinal since winning back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022, according to CBS Sports, and its current receiver room does not have the same proven headliner Branch represented when he arrived.
Branch was rated the No. 4 receiver in his transfer cycle by 247Sports, CBS Sports reported. This offseason, former Georgia Tech receiver Isiah Canion is expected to factor in after making 33 catches as a sophomore for the Yellow Jackets, but CBS Sports described the group as unproven.
London Humphreys is Georgia’s top returning receiver, according to CBS Sports. The senior has 33 catches across the last two seasons.
Smart turns doubts into fuel
Asked Tuesday about his confidence in the receivers, Smart said the public skepticism helps him push the group.
"I'm just very thankful for people like you that keep questioning them," Smart said, according to CBS Sports. "Because the more you question them, the more it helps me motivate them."
The pressure also lands on offensive coordinator Mike Bobo. CBS Sports reported that Georgia posted elite offensive efficiency under former coordinator Todd Monken in 2021 and 2022, ranking in the national top five in offensive success rate both years and the top 10 in explosive plays.
That high-end output continued in 2023, Bobo’s first season back in the role, but CBS Sports reported it has slipped over the past two years. In 2025, Georgia ranked third nationally in time of possession, 55th in plays of at least 20 yards and outside the top 50 in total offense for a second straight season.
Smart defended Bobo at SEC Media Days, saying he evaluates staff from within the program and believes Georgia has the right coordinator. He also praised Bobo’s focus on winning and his daily work with players, according to CBS Sports.
Stockton’s credentials are not the problem. CBS Sports reported he threw or ran for 34 touchdowns, completed 69.7% of his passes in his first season as Georgia’s starter and finished seventh in Heisman Trophy voting.
With a strong offensive line projected and running backs Nate Frazier and Chauncey Bowens back, Georgia has plenty in place. The unanswered question is whether its new targets can bring back the big-play spark.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS Sports.