Gunner Stockton Commits to Georgia
Imagine being a freshman at a high school in the North Georgia mountains and seeing a helicopter making a landing on your campus. That helicopter contains none other than Kirby Smart and he wants to talk to your coach about you as potentially being a quarterback at the University of Georgia almost four years in the future. It seems like a made-up story, almost too good to be true, but that is exactly what happened for Gunner Stockton on Jan. 31, 2019.
That's how much of a priority Stockton was for Georgia and just how early Smart and his staff identified his talents.
Thursday, that early investment into the Stockton recruitment has paid off as Stockton has committed to the University of Georgia.
Stockton de-committed from South Carolina less than a month ago and re-opened his recruitment only to ultimately commit to his home-state school despite the strong connections to Auburn with offensive coordinator Mike Bobo taking that job.
Here's what Georgia just got in the commitment of Stockton:
Stockton has an extremely compact lower half of his body that allows him to generate torque in his throwing motion and make defenders miss in the open field. He is a plus athlete who will get outside of the pocket at the next level and make plays on the run, although he won’t explode on the ground.
The most impressive thing about Stockton is his arm. He has one of the most explosive arms in the country as only a junior in high school and can make any throw in the book. He improvises well when forced out of the pocket and can throw off any platform. Multiple times last year at Rabun County High School, he launched the ball 55-plus yards in the air, hitting receivers in stride on those throws more often than not. That included a 68-yard touchdown pass.
Stockton also has his mechanics under control. He gets all of his body into throws and generates a great deal of velocity behind them. However, he doesn’t only throw line drives. He can loft the ball with touch over the top of defenders when needed and has found a good balance between power and touch when making decisions.
Stockton understands and processes the game at a high level. His high-school team plays in Georgia’s 2A classification, meaning he doesn’t have to be fundamentally sound in all areas to have success. However, he has perfected the little details even when he doesn’t have to. So, when he gets to the college level, he will be ready to be thrown into action. He progresses through reads, makes quick decisions and doesn’t put the ball in harm's way often.
Perhaps his best trait is leadership. He is the epitome of a football player and competes every time he steps on the field. His teammates love playing with him, and when Rabun needs someone to make a play, everyone is looking No. 14’s way.
You may also like
Richard LeCounte Ranked No. 15 Safety in 2021 NFL Draft
Official Measurements for Georgia Players at Senior Bowl
Join the community
Follow Brooks Austin on Twitter: @BrooksAustinSI
Follow Kyle Funderburk on Twitter: @DKFunderburk
You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook @BulldogMaven & follow us on Twitter at @BuldogsSI.
