Gunner Stockton has been a University of Georgia quarterback since January 2022, when he enrolled early and was fourth on a loaded depth chart behind Stetson Bennett, Carson Beck and Brock Vandagriff.
Though he was a borderline top-100 national prospect out of Rabun County High School, Stockton would remain under the radar on the college football landscape until last December’s Southeastern Conference championship inside Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. On the final play of the first half, with the Bulldogs trailing Texas 6-3, Beck suffered what would be a season-ending elbow injury.
Stockton took the reins in the second half and immediately engineered a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, and the Bulldogs would control the clock for more than 22 minutes in the second half in posting an unlikely 22-19 overtime win.
“Last year was crazy,” Stockton said this week on a teleconference. “I was preparing each week like I was the starter, just trying to watch a lot of film and be ready, and it was hard the whole year just having to make myself watch film through each week and not playing. Then, when the time came, I was ready, and I was excited just to go play with my teammates.
“Now, as the starter, it’s a different mindset of leading the team, but it’s an opportunity, and I’m blessed to be in this situation.”