We’ve seen this movie before. Coach walks into spring meetings, gives the media a 12-piece nugget of non-answers, stares deadpan into the camera like he’s talking about defensive gap fits, and somehow has half the internet convinced they’ve cracked the QB code. But Georgia’s Kirby Smart? Oh, he’s running the full Nick Saban playbook now—smokescreens, poker faces, and all.
As of mid-May, Kirby still refuses to name a starting quarterback for 2025. Gunner Stockton or Ryan Puglisi? Your guess is as good as the SEC East’s. And just like that, Dawg Nation is in quarterback limbo, scrolling for crumbs, and reading between every line Smart drops in Destin. “I’m excited about both those guys,” Smart said Tuesday at the SEC Spring Meetings. “They’ve both played really well, they’ve both done a great job and they’re both working their tails off. They’re Georgia football players that love Georgia.” Translation? We aren’t telling y’all a thing!
So let’s call it what it is—Kirby’s doing his best Saban impression, and honestly? It’s textbook. Because if there’s one thing his old boss taught him during those dynasty-building days at Alabama, it’s this: You don’t name your QB1 until the entire roster’s been through hell, back, and three more weeks of fall camp.
On May 28, Mark Ruffino and Joe DeLeone hopped onto The Ruffino and DeLeone show and laid out Kirby Smart’s Nick Saban-style QB selection approach. Ruffino made good sense: “I think he learns from a mentor in Nick, and saying that—when you have a battle like this—why? Why would he give who the guy is? There’s no… there’s no benefit from a competition standpoint for Kirby to run out there and say who the guy is. Because then Ryan Puglisi says, ‘Well, what am I doing?’” Kirby is smart. He knows the second he picks a QB, the other one starts mentally packing his bags.
Nick Saban never jumped the gun. Tua Tagovailoa vs. Jalen Hurts in 2018? The whole country knew Tua was that QB1 after the natty comeback, and even then, Saban kept the QB race “open” through Week 1. Bryce Young in 2021? Quietly handed the keys behind closed doors. 2023 with Jalen Milroe, Tyler Buchner, Ty Simpson? Straight-up musical chairs until one of them stopped throwing picks.
That’s the game. And Kirby learned from the GOAT himself.
See, Kirby wasn’t just a mentee—he was Saban’s right-hand man at Bama. Joined the Crimson Tide in 2007, ran the defense by 2008, and helped stack four national titles with a unit that lived and breathed punishment. But more than blitzes and coverages, he soaked up the Saban System: control the narrative, starve the media, build pressure from the inside. And now? He’s got Georgia humming the same way. No leaks. No rush. And certainly no premature quarterback announcements that could send Ryan Puglisi or Gunner Stockton straight to the mental portal.
So he keeps it vague. Keeps both guys hungry. Keeps the SEC guessing.
Paul Finebaum is not sold on Gunner Stockton as Georgia’s QB1
Let’s talk about the elephant in the film room: Gunner Stockton. The presumed front-runner. The guy who got his first big bite in the Sugar Bowl—and left fans with a bit of heartburn. Stockton threw for 234 yards and a touchdown against Notre Dame, which sounds cute until you remember Georgia lost that game. Badly. And according to Paul Finebaum? That performance didn’t exactly scream “QB1 in the SEC.”
“I’d say that’s a big ‘not fine,’” Finebaum cracked on SportsCenter. “I was underwhelmed by what I saw from Gunner Stockton in the Sugar Bowl loss to Notre Dame. Kirby Smart’s been steadfast in his support, but he really doesn’t have another option until next year when the top recruit in the country comes in.” The stats don’t lie—five games, 440 yards, one touchdown, one pick. Sure, he completed over 70% of his passes, but there was nothing electric, nothing commanding. Just decent game management and a bunch of questions still hanging in the air.
Puglisi, on the other hand? Zero game reps, but all the upside in the world. The redshirt freshman’s been quietly grinding, and insiders say his arm talent is legit. Strong, twitchy release. Confident. Hungry. Everything you want in a young gun. But no real-time experience. Kirby Smart’s not ready to roll the dice just yet. Not when he’s got a junior in Stockton who’s at least been under the lights.
Georgia had moved on from Carson Beck way before he bolted for Miami in January. From the second half of the SEC title game onward, they were giving Stockton the keys. That was Kirby’s silent endorsement. But endorsements fade fast in Athens if you don’t deliver. And with Ryan Puglisi lurking like a storm cloud over fall camp, the heat’s already cranked.
So for now, Kirby’s going to keep quoting Saban, keep dodging questions, and keep playing chess while everyone else argues over checkers. Welcome to Georgia’s 2025 quarterback battle. No press release. Just cold war.
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