What to watch at Georgia’s G-Day: Gunner Stockton, QB depth and key position battles

ATHENS — Kirby Smart made it clear this week: when Georgia fans file into Sanford Stadium on April 18, they should expect something familiar.

The Bulldogs’ annual G-Day game, set for 1 p.m., will look much like it always has.

“No, right now I would say we’re on course for a traditional game,” Smart said. “We haven’t changed G-Day, that I know of, since I’ve been here… I don’t see that changing.”

That means the usual competitive format — split squads, situational football, and the always-entertaining two-minute drill to close the day — as Georgia wraps up another spring focused more on development than experimentation.

If anything, that consistency mirrors the Bulldogs’ approach throughout spring practice.

Smart described a program centered on depth, repetition and internal competition — not reinvention.

“We’re practicing… we’re lifting, we’re running,” Smart said. “We will have the players that get the most reps, and get the most improvement, and the most coaching, and most development.”

That emphasis has shown up across the roster.

At wide receiver, Smart said the group has flashed more explosiveness during recent scrimmages, pointing to emerging playmakers while acknowledging the offense is still working through penalties and turnovers.

“We want to be more explosive,” he said. “As a whole, I thought it was a good scrimmage.”

Quarterback depth has been a steady storyline throughout the spring, with multiple players rotating through reps and young passers gaining valuable experience.

Among those making strides is Ryan Montgomery, who Smart said has shown noticeable progress coming off a knee injury.

“Ryan’s got that knee brace off… his decision-making has been good,” Smart said. “He’s a very accurate passer… he’s done a nice job.”

But the position — and the offense — ultimately revolves around Gunner Stockton.

While Smart did not single him out Tuesday, the senior enters G-Day as the unquestioned leader of Georgia’s offense after completing his first full season as the starter. Stockton’s command of the system and continued growth will be central to the Bulldogs’ development, and his performance this spring has already drawn early national attention, including mention as a potential Heisman Trophy candidate.

The offensive line, meanwhile, may be the most competitive unit on the field.

Smart said multiple players are battling for roles, including a five-man competition at center, and noted a noticeable shift: returning starters are being pushed — and in some cases outplayed — by younger players.

“That defeats complacency,” Smart said. “Now here, this dude is playing better than you.”

Defensively, the Bulldogs are seeing growth in the secondary, where players like Ellis Robinson IV and Demello Jones have taken steps forward, particularly in maturity and consistency.

Smart emphasized that development often comes through experience.

“There’s no good remedy to growing guys up other than go out there and play,” he said.

Even with changes around college football — including evolving transfer portal dynamics and proposed practice models — Smart said Georgia’s approach this spring has remained largely unchanged.

“I don’t see it as different,” he said.

Instead, the Bulldogs are leaning into what has defined their success: depth, competition and relentless repetition.

All of which sets the stage for G-Day — not as a showcase of finished products, but as a snapshot of a team still being built.

And led by a quarterback now firmly at the center of it all.