ATHENS -- Say what you will about Georgia’s luck with quarterbacks, but the Bulldogs certainly don’t have a problem landing those with 5-star ratings.
Georgia landed yet another 5-star quarterback when Gunner Stockton of Rabun County High School chose the Bulldogs over Auburn. The 6-foot-1, 220-pound rising senior is ranked the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the country by 247Sports.
Stockton made his announcement on Twitter on Thursday.
Stockton originally committed to South Carolina. But he changed his mind after Shane Beamer became head coach and offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike Bobo left South Carolina to go to Auburn.
At that point, Stockton was expected to follow Bobo to The Plains. But Georgia never relented in its pursuit of him, and that persistence was rewarded.
“I’m so proud and excited for Gunner, and words don’t do justice for how excited I am,” Rabun County High coach Jaybo Shaw said. “I know he’s at peace with his decision. It was a tough decision from the beginning. But I know he’s at peace with it, and I know it’s a good one, and I’m just excited for him and his family.”
As long as it sticks, that sets up the Bulldogs at the quarterback position for a while. Georgia signed the AJC’s all-classification player of the year Brock Vandagriff, a 5-star recruit from Prince Avenue Christian School who entered UGA as an early enrollee Jan. 13. JT Daniels of Irvine, Calif., is a rising junior and returning starter for the Bulldogs. Five-game starter Stetson Bennett returns as a rising senior, along with redshirt freshman Carson Beck, a former 4-star prospect out of Jacksonville.
Stockton and Vandagriff claim to be good friends, but they faced each other in a game nationally televised by ESPNU in September. Stockton’s team, which played in the Class 2A classification, won 38-31, as he was 16-of-25 passing for 173 yards and accounted for five touchdowns, including three rushing. (Stockton also rushed for 173 yards, on 23 carries.)
Vandagriff led his team back from a 31-7 deficit with two third-quarter TD passes but was intercepted three times, including once in the final two minutes. But Vandagriff’s Wolverines went on to win Class A private division’s state championship.
Stockton’s commitment continues Georgia’s strong quarterback recruiting under coach Kirby Smart, During his tenure, the Bulldogs also have signed Jake Fromm, who had some 5-star ratings coming out of Houston County, and Justin Fields, a 5-star prospect from Harrison High who signed with the Bulldogs in 2018 but transferred to Ohio State in 2019.
About the Author
