Gunner Stockton named 2025 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award finalist

Georgia football quarterback Gunner Stockton has been named a finalist for the 2025 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation, Inc., has announced.

The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award is an annual award given to the “…top senior or upperclassman quarterback set to graduate with their class.” Stockton is one of five finalists for this year’s award. Candidates are chosen based on player performance on-and-off the field.

Below is information on all five finalists:

Haynes King, Georgia Tech – A flashy dual-threat, King and the #16 Yellow Jackets have their best record in more than a decade (9-1). To date, King has scored 10 touchdowns on 2,259 yards passing, while adding 14 TDs with 807 yards rushing.

Fernando Mendoza, Indiana – The Hoosiers are in historic territory behind Mendoza’s leadership. They’ve earned the nation’s #2 ranking while going 11-0 so far this season. Mendoza has the third-best FBS rating (184.8) and is the only FBS quarterback to date who has passed for 30 touchdowns. He’s thrown for 2,641 total yards, while rushing for 216 more.

Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt – Pavia has led a confident Vanderbilt (#14) team to a school-best 8 weeks in the Top 25 and the Commodores’ best record (8-2) in almost 90 years. To date, he has 2,440 yards passing with 21 touchdowns, to go with 613 rushing yards and 7 TDs.

Marcel Reed, Texas A&M – Reed has the #3 Aggies vying for a national championship with their best record (10-0) since 1992. He has 2,632 passing yards and 22 touchdowns to go with 391 yards on the ground and 6 TDs. He rallied A&M to a 28-point come-from-behind win against South Carolina, plus led the team to road wins at Notre Dame and LSU.

Gunner Stockton, Georgia – The alpha dog for another powerful squad, Stockton’s leadership, plus his talented arm and legs have pushed the 9-1 Bulldogs to a #4 ranking. Highlights include a five-touchdown performance in a win over Texas and a come-from-behind victory over Ole Miss. For the year, he’s passed for 2,269 yards, scored 27 touchdowns (19 passing/8 running) and posted a 90.1 QBR (#3 in the nation).

The winner of the 2025 Golden Arm Award will be announced in the coming weeks. The winner will be presented with the trophy at the annual Golden Arm Award ceremony presented by A. O. Smith is set to take place in Baltimore, Maryland, on Friday, December 12, 2025.

Gunner Stockton is a 6-foot-1, 215-pound junior from Tiger, Ga. Through ten games this season, Stockton has completed 203-of-287 passes for 2,269 yards and 19 touchdowns. He has also rushed 83 times for 350 yards and eight touchdowns.

The Georgia Bulldogs are next scheduled to host the Charlotte 49ers on Saturday, Nov. 22 at Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga. The game will be televised by the SEC Network at 12:45pm ET (Buy Tickets).

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