Ryan Puglisi has never been afraid of competing.

He was once one of two quarterbacks in Georgia's 2024 recruiting class, later becoming the only signee after Dylan Raiola flipped to Nebraska. Throughout that process, Puglisi maintained he was coming to Athens to compete and improve.

Puglisi is now bringing that same mindset this spring as he battles Gunner Stockton for the starting quarterback job.

"No matter what at Georgia, no matter who you are, no matter where you are on the depth chart, you're always going to compete," Puglisi said. "I think you're competing with yourself every day as well. You know, just trying to be better than you were yesterday and putting your head down and going to work every single day, no matter where you are on the depth chart.”

This spring is different for Puglisi in one major way.

He missed most of last spring with a leg injury. Even when he couldn't be on the field, however, Puglisi tried to make the most of his first months in Athens.

"I was able to sit back and make sure that I wasn't just sitting back there doing nothing," Puglisi said. "I was taking mental reps and just kind of doing everything I could, whether I was playing or not, just to get better every single day.”

That hard work is now showing, according to his teammates.

"He's learned the playbook. He could teach the playbook at this point," receiver London Humphreys said. "He feels good about it, and he's someone I can talk to if I have any questions about, hey, what's the deal here? What are you looking at? So we can be on the same page, just receiver to quarterback."

As all quarterbacks must eventually do, Puglisi has taken the next step as a leader this spring.

"His demeanor and emotion never change," receiver Sacovie White said. "He's always happy. He's never down because as a quarterback, you have to help us because we look at that. If the quarterback's down, then we're going to be down. But if the quarterback has a smile on his face, tells us, let's go and strap your chin strap up. He does a great job with that."

Puglisi said he has worked hard on the connection part of leadership this spring. On the field, he's focused on improving all areas of his game, watching as much film as possible as he hones his talents.

When asked if he feels he's progressed enough to be Georgia's starter, Puglisi answered in the affirmative. Of course he did. That's the same confidence he has carried ever since Georgia identified him as a target in the Class of 2024.

Where does that confidence come from?

"I really just think it comes down to having a love for where you want to go," Puglisi said. "I came to Georgia, I came on multiple visits, met with the staff multiple times, and I loved them every single time. I think it's rare to find a school that you truly love, and when you really love something, you're willing to do everything for it. You’re willing to wake up early the next day and go to work, do whatever it takes to get better. So I think it would have been tough for me to find another school that I love as much as Georgia, and I still feel that way."