If you blinked on Saturday in Athens, you probably missed about 30 passes, a crowd hotter than the hottest afternoon, and a quarterback room that just turned into a soap opera. Yeah, G-Day wasn’t even on TV this year—which means if you weren’t packed into Sanford Stadium with 35,000 Dawg fans, you straight-up missed the drama unfold live. But trust me—just because it wasn’t televised, it doesn’t mean it isn’t newsworthy. Matter of fact, what happened behind those hedges might just change Kirby Smart’s whole QB plan for the fall. But before we hop onto that…

Kirby Smart’s QB room is a curious one. On one hand, there’s the presumed starter Gunner Stockton, and then his hurdle to a leadership role: Redshirt freshman Ryan Puglisi. Despite Stockton being the only experienced member of the QB depth chart (after being thrust into the limelight, thanks to Carson Beck’s injury), it’s not like the 22-year-old is what can be called a seasoned player. During the 2024 SEC Championship game vs the Texas Longhorns, the signal caller had thrown for 72 yards and an interception, as the team won 22-19 in overtime. Then, in the 2025 Sugar Bowl against Notre Dame (his first career start), he threw for another 234 yards and a touchdown, ending the Bulldogs’ season with a 23-10 loss. Yet, one emotion runs wild: The No. 7 ranked quarterback in the 2022 recruiting class is a budding talent, and one that can definitely can take his program to glory, with his perseverance.

We all saw it when Longhorns safety Andrew Mukuba had dealt a jarring tackle to the QB, sending his helmet flying. We all saw it when Stockton still held onto the ball tightly, with his teammate and running back Trevor Etienne running the end zone on the next play to give the Bulldogs a victory. “It was brutal to watch,” Stockton’s father had remarked later. And, now, with Beck’s $4 million move to the Miami Hurricanes, 2025 will probably be his perfect time to shine yet again. And so far, looks like his teammates are all in at the prospect of seeing him lead. Receiver Arian Smith said it best: “He’s going to come in and be positive, have a positive mindset, and bring guys along with him. I’m excited for him to lead this offense this upcoming season.”

Even Kirby Smart had doubled down on the same emotion, saying, “He’s got a lot of knowledge of our system, and I think that kind of resonates with the other players. They rally around Gunner because they have a lot of respect for him.” And with the G-Day spring practice over, another verdict seems to have come in. National analyst J.D. PicKell hopped onto On3 and spilled some hot tea after their spring game on April 13, saying, “So the big takeaway here from G-Day is they threw the ball a lot…87 pass attempts among the quarterbacks. Georgia has been a pass-first operation over the course of the last few years. Based on the spring game, seems like that’s going to still be the case,” before adding, “Gunner Stockton struggled a little bit early, alright? Took a little bit of time to get warmed up—you get the wing loose, it takes a second. But then sounds like he caught fire in that third quarter.” He added that the intel from Jake Rowe at DawgsHQ noted four throws over 20 yards.

But, here’s the full meat: Gunner Stockton did come out sluggish but flipped the switch soon after. The QB1 went nuclear in the 3rd quarter and had folks hollering in the stands. By the end of the scrimmage, he tossed two touchdown bombs—one to Sacovie White to close the curtain and another to Jeremy Bell that traveled 31 yards of ‘yeah, I can sling it’ energy. His final stat line? 17-of-34, 309 yards, 2 TDs and a pick. Not perfect, but flashy enough to remind Kirby why he was on the roster in the first place.

PicKell informed, “So you like to see that. That’s kind of the question we’ve had around him. ‘Does he have the chops to push it deep to open up this offense, and to make Georgia still able to be a threat downfield?’ With how we’ve upgraded at the wide receiver position with Colbie Young who’s back in the fold, and Zachariah Branch…So this is encouraging at the very least. If you’re a Georgia fan and you were in the building in Athens, you’re like, ‘Okay it’s there’.”

Furthermore, Pickell also gave some credit to Ryan Puglisi: “Now Ryan Puglisi—what have we said around him? I mean, the entire time we’ve talked about him in the context of this quarterback battle between him and Gunner Stockton. Talented quarterback. He’s young, a little bit inexperienced—a lotta bit inexperienced—and he looked that way in the G-Day. Like, they talk about the arm talent he has—that exists—but he just hasn’t had a ton of meaningful snaps at Georgia just yet.” Ryan Puglisi was trying to throw like his eligibility depended on it. The freshman launched 49 passes—yes, FORTY-NINE—and ended with 20 passes completed, 224 yards, 2 touchdowns, and a pick. Not bad for a 19-year-old redshirt freshman. He flashed, but you could tell the seasoning wasn’t there yet. He tossed a nice one to Colbie Young, though, which showed a glimpse of what could be once he settles down. But for now? Gunner’s got the juice and QB1 title.

Now look—Kirby Smart knows depth wins titles, and that insurance works as a long-term plan. The On3 college football analyst said it best: “If Georgia goes and adds a transfer portal quarterback, it should surprise nobody. Because they tried to do that, it looked like during the winter…this is just what Kirby Smart does, dude. This is who he is.” Looks like, Smart will turn over every stone if it means his QB room doesn’t fall apart by Week 6. What’s more?

We already know that NIL bag was supposed to land Kirby a smooth backup plan: a $2.7 million arm named Jared Curtis. Well, it isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. That plan’s in the dirt now.

The $2.7 mil QB snubs Kirby Smart’s Georgia

Jared Curtis, the five-star, 6-foot-4 quarterback from Nashville Christian, just ghosted the Dawgs. He was supposed to pull up to Athens one last time before his May 5 commitment. But instead? He canceled it, signaling a grim picture.

Notably, Curtis had been committed to Georgia once before, from March to October 2024. But now? It’s looking like Oregon is about to finesse the QB Georgia had circled in red Sharpie. And this isn’t just any QB. 247Sports has him ranked No. 2 in the entire country and the top QB overall. Big frame, big game, strong arm, and legs. He was going to be that “set it and forget it” future for Georgia. Kirby hasn’t gotten a five-star QB since Justin Fields (probably), and Curtis was supposed to end that drought.

So now what? Kirby’s back to square one. Curtis bailing out means Georgia has zero elite QB talent locked up for 2026, and the transfer portal becomes not a backup plan but the plan. The spring window opens on April 16, and you best believe Georgia got eyes on every QB with a pulse and a halfway-decent spiral. Problem is? Pickings are slim. Real slim.

The biggest name out there? Nico Iamaleava. And even he’s stuck in SEC purgatory. After splitting with Tennessee over a NIL meltdown, he can’t touch a football in this conference till he sits a year. So unless Kirby wants to play chess with the NCAA or make friends with a West Coast QB who isn’t scared of the SEC heat, the Dawgs might have to roll with what they got. It’s clear now—if Jared Curtis had just signed on the dotted line, Kirby could’ve chilled on this portal madness. Instead, he’s low-key urged to do portal shopping. Look, most elite guys are locked up. The leftovers? Either got baggage or need fixing. And Kirby doesn’t really have time for a “maybe” project.

This whole saga—from Beck bouncing to Miami, to Gunner making noise, to Curtis curving Georgia—just turned the Bulldogs’ QB room into a weekly soap opera. But don’t get it twisted. Kirby loves chaos. He breathes in competition like it’s pregame oxygen. You think he’s not going to find someone to stir the pot? Please.

“If they go and grab somebody via the portal,” PicKell said, “I would be surprised if they’re able to… win the job and prove they are the guy for Georgia.” Translation? Even if Kirby shops the portal, it might still be Gunner’s job to lose. And after what we saw at G-Day? Dawg might just be ready to run the yard. So buckle up, Georgia fans. Prom season might’ve cost you a $2.7 million QB, but G-Day just might’ve found you a diamond in Gunner.