Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton will make his first start in the Allstate Sugar Bowl against Notre Dame.
Stockton will replace starter Carson Beck, who left the 2024 SEC Championship game against Texas on Dec. 7 with an elbow injury. Stockton helped the Bulldogs knock off the Longhorns to win the conference title.
Stockton was recently named the starter after Beck had season-ending surgery. The Tiger, Georgia, native is primed to help lead the Bulldogs back to glory and win another title, but the Fighting Irish stand in the way.
Georgia safety Malaki Starks has played against Stockton since he was little. He knows how good Stockton is.
As a kid, Stockton’s team from Rabun County beat Starks’ Jefferson squad every time. Stockton and his youth league football team went 65-0 and won six championships. Starks remembers those days all too well.
“He beat me every year when we were little in rec league,” Starks said. “I got him two times in high school. But, you know, he’s always been that guy. Since I’ve been growing up, he’s always been the guy that, you know, we’re going to play Rabun County, ah dang, we’ve got to play Gunner. That’s just how it is.”
Stockton’s teammates and coaches believe in him. They know what kind of dynamic he can bring to the table.
Georgia defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann has seen Stockton grow from being the scout team quarterback in his first year to third string and second string, and now to being thrust into the limelight this week.
Schumann compared Stockton to Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard because of his mobility.
“He makes you defend the entire field, and he makes you play honest on defense. You have to account for him on any given play,” Schumann said of Stockton. “It opens up a lot of those plays that we're talking about with Riley Leonard, where he extends plays and can throw the ball down the field that way. He does that.”
When Stockton entered the game to start the second half against Texas in the SEC title game, the energy at Mercedes-Benz Stadium changed. Georgia fans and his Bulldog teammates rose to their feet to support him.
Stockton and tailback Trevor Etienne shared a quick high-five before the first snap of a 10-play, 75-yard that ended in a touchdown. The redshirt sophomore stayed calm and made a few plays, giving the Bulldogs their first lead.
Georgia's defensive end Mykel Williams noticed Stockton’s calm demeanor against Texas.
“Gunner’s got a calm, steady hand. I feel like Gunner really has the team behind him right now. We believe in his ability,” Williams explained. “We believe in his ability to come in, get the job done, and do what we need.”
Starks described Stockton as a leader. He confirmed what Williams said about the team being “behind him.”
Starks said something is different about Stockton when he stops on the field and has an aurora about him. The junior safety also knows that Stockton is trying to improve his game and wants to learn at practice every day.
“He's the guy you want to lead and get behind. A lot of guys have confidence in him. I think you saw it during the game in the SEC [championship]; a bunch of guys believed in him," Starks said. "He's easy to follow. But he also puts in the work and wants to be better. Like, every day, like, he's asking questions. You can see where he wants to go with it. I think that's a big thing everybody loves to see out of him.”