Todd McShay shares how Georgia playmakers can help Gunner Stockton

GeorgiaQB Gunner Stockton may need some help as he plays through his first season as a collegiate starter this year. Thankfully for him, Todd McShay thinks he’ll get it, or at least just some better help than some prior quarterbacks for the Bulldogs, with what’s around him on the offense at UGA.

McShay discussed Georgia’s weapons around Stockton during ‘The McShay Show’ on Monday. That started with a look back at some of the issues they’ve had from their skill positions as of late, namely last season with a dropoff in the run game and, as he noted, their problems in the pass game as wide their wide receiver corps led the nation in drops.

“Georgia? Wide receiver has been a problem for a long time,” said McShay. “Inconsistent production – whether it’s guys with drops, feeling that they’re blocking more than they’re going out for routes, the tight ends are too involved, the running backs are too involved. All that stuff.”

Last season, Georgia transitioned from TE Brock Bowers and WRs Ladd McConkey, Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, and Rara Thomas, along with RBs Daijun Edwards and Kendall Milton, to a group of weapons led by RBs Nate Frazier and Trevor Ettienne, WRs Arian Smith, Dominic Lovett, Dillon Bell, London Humphreys, and Colbie Young, and TEs Lawson Luckie, Oscar Delp, and Ben Yurosek. They, paired with a drop off in play from QB Carson Beck, were parts of the reason why the Bulldogs went from 40.1 points and 496.5 yards per game on offense in 2023 to 31.5 points and 405.4 yards per game in 2024.

Now, Georgia has reworked those options again. Frazier (671 yards, eight touchdowns) returns as their leading rusher while Bell (446 yards, four touchdowns), Luckie (348 yards, three touchdowns), Delp (248 yards, four touchdowns), and Humphreys (244 yards, two touchdowns) are back for the pass-catchers. Then, as part of their ten additions in the transfer portal, the Bulldogs also brought in RB Josh McCray (Illinois – 609 rushing yards, 11 total touchdowns) along with WRs Zachariah Branch (USC – 503 yards, two touchdowns) and Noah Thomas (Texas A&M – 574 yards, eight touchdowns). Those offensive stats are from all of their respective seasons in 2024.

These are the names that Stockton will be working with this fall, with the expectation that the unit as a whole will be better. At that point, that leaves it to him as the Bulldogs’ QB1 to that match that improved offensive production

“Gunner Stockton has got to rely on Branch and some guys that have already been there, like Dillon Bell, and then the tight ends, Lawson Luckie and Oscar Delp. Oh, and by the way, Nate Frazier – super talented running back, got to protect the ball better,” said McShay.

“So, there’s weapons there. Can Gunner Stockton play at the level?” McShay asked. “They were perfectly fine letting Carson Beck go, but is Stockton going to be able to sustain that for the entire year? Massive question down in Athens.”