While Georgia quarterback
Gunner Stockton will make his first career start today in the College Football Playoff against Notre Dame, he is no stranger to big moments.
The last time Stockton won a playoff game was at
Rabun County (Tiger, Ga.), where he piled up 504 total yards and accounted for seven touchdowns in 2021.
Stockton relieved an injured Carson Beck in the SEC Championship against Texas and led the Bulldogs to the conference crown.
It's the same thing he did in high school, when the 6-foot-1, 216-pounder led Rabun County to a 46-7 record from 2018-21.
Stockton started immediately as a freshman in 2018 and threw for 2,917 yards and 34 touchdowns. On the ground he added 17 scores and was named the MaxPreps National Freshman of the Year. Twice that season and 13 times in his career he put up at least seven touchdowns in a game.
Gunner Stockton threw for over 13,000 yards and 177 touchdowns at Rabun County (Ga.) from 2018-21. (Photo: Will Fagan)
Stockton passed for 13,652 yards and 177 touchdowns against 17 interceptions in his career. His 177 TD passes are still a state record. He rushed for 4,372 yards and 77 touchdowns.
His success continued to the baseball diamond where he hit .341 in his career.
As a senior Stockton threw his first interception in the third game of the season. That was the last time he threw a pick in his high school career. He finished that year with 55 passing scores, 15 rushing touchdowns and 5,090 total yards while completing 71.3 percent of his passes.
Stockton exited high school as the No. 7 quarterback in the country in the Class of 2022 according to 247Sports. A Georgia win over Notre Dame would set up a meeting against Penn State and quarterback Drew Allar, the No. 1 quarterback in that class.
Stetson Bennett was the starter at Georgia when Stockton arrived Athens in 2022, leading to a redshirt. The next season Stockton backed up Beck and appeared sparingly. He excelled when he played and tossed two touchdowns in Georgia's win over Florida State in the Orange Bowl last season.
This season Stockton had thrown just 16 passes before stepping on the field during crunch time of the SEC Championship on Dec. 7 after Beck injured his elbow. He completed 75 percent of his passes and delivered a 22-19 overtime victory.
