ATHENS — Gunner Stockton just wants to play football and live out his dream.
It just so happens that along the way the Georgia football quarterback has proven a lot of people wrong and exceeded most all published preseason expectations.
ESPN moved Stockton up from No. 20 to No. 6 in its most recent quarterback rankings, becoming the latest to adjust their evaluation.
Top 5 ESPN Power 4 QB rankings
1. Julian Sayin, Ohio State
2. Haynes King, Georgia Tech
3. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
4. Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt
5. Jayden Maiava, USC
Of course, the only numbers that will matter to Stockton and Georgia coach Kirby Smart are those on the Sanford Stadium scoreboard on Saturday.
The Bulldogs play host to Texas, led by preseason Heisman Trophy favorite Arch Manning, who ESPN ranked No. 7 among quarterbacks in the preseason rank of Top 100 players (Stockton was not among them).
To be fair, no one pegged Stockton as a dark horse candidate for the Heisman Trophy, which he will likely remain so long as No. 5-ranked Georgia keeps winning.
In its most recent QB rankings, ESPN correctly points out that, for Stockton, “the only thing he’s missing is a deep ball (or someone to catch one.).
Stockton ranks third in total QB ranking, and ESPN advance metrics revealed that on passes thrown under 15 yards his completion rate is 79 percent (fifth in the nation), while he’s completing only 36 percent beyond 15 yards (108th in the nation).
Manning, now 35th in the ESPN quarterback rankings, has been dealing with poor pass protection at Texas that has produced the 122nd pressure rate in the country.
Both Georgia and Texas are expected to utilize a short pass game when they meet.
Manning was 25-of-33 passing for 328 yards an three touchdowns in his most recent outing against Vanderbilt — without competing a pass thrown more than 17 yards downfield, per ESPN.
Per the data, Manning completed 11 passes at or behind the line of scrimmage in the win over the Commodores.
Stockton has benefitted from Zachariah Branch, who has made 31 of his 53 catches behind the line of scrimmage.
