As Jared Curtis rumors swirl, Georgia has confidence in future at QB

This is not the first time in Kirby Smart’s tenure that there has been late drama regarding a 5-star Georgia commitment. In the 2024 recruiting cycle, Dylan Raiola flipped in the 11th hour to Nebraska.

The loss of Raiola didn’t prove to be crippling for the program, in large part because of what it already had on its roster, namely Gunner Stockton.

Stockton outplayed Raiola this season even before the Nebraska quarterback suffered a season-ending injury.

Stockton has blossomed into one of the best quarterbacks in the country, earning Heisman Trophy buzz.

“We’re playing the biggest games in the country, and he’s dominating. So it’s kind of crazy that he’s not talked about more,” tight end Oscar Delp said. “I don’t know what goes into that or who makes those decisions, but, you know, if I’m turning on tape, that’s one of the guys that I’m inviting.”

Saturday’s game against Charlotte won’t have much impact on Stockton’s Heisman hopes. However, it does give Georgia a chance to potentially get a better look at its depth at the quarterback position.

Georgia first has to take care of business early in the game, something that isn’t lost on Smart. A year ago, Georgia gave up 21 points and 226 yards to UMass, which limited Stockton, then Georgia’s backup quarterback, to just four pass attempts in the 59-21 win. More reps likely would’ve helped Stockton when he faced Texas and Notre Dame.

With comfortable wins against Kentucky, Mississippi State and Texas, we’ve seen a bit more of Ryan Puglisi this season. He’s appeared in six games thus far, completing 9-of-16 pass attempts. He’s thrown one touchdown pass while being intercepted twice.

“Ryan’s doing a great job,” Smart said. “He gets a lot of work, as well as Ryan Montgomery. Both those guys, we get them extra reps during the week. They get reps on Mondays, do extra throwing. Both those guys continue to grow.”

Georgia signed Montgomery as a 4-star prospect in the 2025 recruiting cycle, holding off a late push from Florida.

Montgomery was limited this spring and summer as he recovered from a knee injury he sustained in high school. Since getting healthy, there’s been consistent behind-the-scenes buzz with what Montgomery has been able to do.

Stockton, Puglisi and Montgomery were not among the top prospects coming out of high school, but what they all had in common was they wanted to come play for Georgia.

That’s something Smart said he has prioritized in recent recruiting cycles, especially with the rise of the transfer portal in college football.

“We want to go after people that can lead our team,” Smart said before Georgia’s game against Texas. “If they have a skill set that’s unique and that we think can make us better, then we want to enroll them within our program. They’re going to be the face of your organization, so you want to go after the right kind of person.”

Curtis is the only quarterback commitment in the class. When Raiola flipped in 2024, Georgia maintained the commitment of Puglisi. In all likelihood, if Georgia doesn’t land Curtis, it won’t take a quarterback in this recruiting cycle. It didn’t take a quarterback in the 2023 recruiting cycle when it prioritized Arch Manning.

But Georgia does hold a commitment from the No. 1-ranked quarterback prospect in the 2028 cycle in Jayden Wade, who announced his decision after the Texas game.

Stockton will have another year of eligibility after this season. Puglisi will have three more following the 2025 season, and Montgomery will have four.

With plenty of eligibility in the quarterback room, should Curtis sign in December, the question becomes how Georgia manages a wealth of talent.