3 questions for Georgia football exiting fall camp

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3 questions for Georgia football exiting fall camp

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mitch_earl

"Every offensive coordinator designs the offense around the quarterback’s strengths, and Stockton’s mobility presents some options."

Yeah … as we saw during the Notre Dame game - where the opponent had time to prepare in advance instead of having to play the second half against a guy that they had absolutely no tape on after gameplanning for an entirely different QB like Texas - people need to stop thinking that Gunner Stockton is another Josh Allen (bigger and faster than some edge rushers) or something. Notre Dame held Stockton to -23 yards rushing. Not due to lack of chances: his 10 carries were #2 for UGA and only 4 less than Notre Dame's Riley Leonard (for 80 yards).

Before you say "but Stockton is a bigger faster higher rated SB IV" … Stetson Bennett IV got away with a lot because of TE Darnell Washington, OT Broderick Jones, OT Amarius Mims plus a bunch of other guys (Jared Wilson, Tate Ratledge, Dylan Fairchild, Sed Van Pran, Warren McClendon … and those are just the guys already in the NFL that are going to play past their rookie contracts) enveloping front 7s plus Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey putting defenses on their heels. UGA's current group at TE, OL and WR isn't nearly as talented. Plus SB IV was his most effective as a runner when he was a 25 year old playing against teenagers. Stockton is just 20.

UGA can put in all the RPOs and bootlegs with Stockton that they want. Because UGA's TE and OL isn't 2 deep with longtime future NFL players like it was in 2021 and 2022, Stockton is going to have to make plays with his own ability. As Stockton isn't fast enough to outrun guys, agile enough to make guys miss or strong enough to run over people and break tackles, it won't work. Stockton's mobility is going to have to be relied on when guys aren't open downfield and when plays break down. It can't be part of the offense's design, which is going to have to lean on the (hopefully) improved situation at RB until UGA demonstrates that the WR play is better than it was in 2024, as well as in 2023 without Bowers and McConkey.

Times have changed. These days to play the spread, defenses are recruiting fast, quick multi-skilled players at DE, LB and safety instead of the big one dimensional guys who could only stop the run or rush the passer. Most teams don't even play 3 every-down linebackers anymore, and that is already with LBs going from 240-250 lbs to glorified safeties at 215-220 lbs. Dual threat QBs need the athletic ability to start at the major college level and even make an NFL roster at another position. If you aren't looking at a guy and thinking "you know he would be a good safety or slot WR if he wasn't at QB" then he isn't an actual dual threat in today's game.