Georgia head coach Kirby Smart denies any reporting stating that Bulldogs quarterback Gunner Stockton suffered any sort of head injury against Auburn this past weekend during a 27-24 loss at Sanford Stadium.
Smart reiterated that Stockton's shoulder injury suffered against the Tigers on the first play of the game, when Auburn linebacker Elijah Melendez drove him hard to the ground on a quarterback keeper, was the only issue Stockton had.
"He has not had any concussion symptoms, so I can only go off what medical people tell me," Smart said on Tuesday during media availability. "I look at him in the eye and talking to him, there was no issue with any of that.
"Now, he did have a stinger in his shoulder. That can affect you. That's hard. That's what linebackers get. That's what Ja'Marley got. That's what a lot of players get. But you bounce back from those quickly. He still did some really good things in the game. I don't think making it about a head injury when there's no symptoms of that are realistic."
Smart was covering his bases. He said practically the same thing after the game.
“He had a stinger in his shoulder, which numbs your shoulder,” Smart said during his postgame presser. “But that happens a lot in football, and you come back from that. But they were checking him for a concussion and things. They checked him out and brought him back in and said he was cleared.”
Auburn just proved that Gunner Stockton is extremely vulnerable
Perhaps Georgia fans need to realize that the Tigers just exposed Stockton in all facets of the game.
Stockton had multiple interceptions for the first time in 2026, plus the game-sealing fumble in the final minute. A big hit knocked him off his game, and he may be vulnerable to physical defenses moving forward. In this sport, Stockton's shoulder is now a target.
The Dawgs looked more dominant than any other team heading into the Auburn game, having knocked off Alabama in Tuscaloosa the week before.
On both sides of the ball, they were exposed a bit during the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry game, though.
Tigers quarterback Byrum Brown just had his finest effort yet. UGA is far from invincible against a dual-threat, even if the Crimson Tide and Keelon Russell couldn't prove it.
Stockton is now a weakness for the Dawgs, though. Worse yet, their banged-up running back room won't be able to bail him out as a healthy Georgia group could have. The defensive injuries piling up Between the Hedges may take the sting out of that defense, too.
Auburn just did what you're supposed to do to rivals: give everyone else the blueprint to beat them.
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