NEW ORLEANS -- When Gunner Stockton spoke Monday in front of a large throng of reporters less than 60 hours before the biggest game of his life, he rarely did so above a whisper. His boyish charm and constant smile drew people in, but by the time reporters huddled and elbowed closer to the dais to better make out what Georgia's quiet-talking quarterback was saying, his short responses didn't offer much time for their ears to adjust.
"He's not a big talker," Georgia coach Kirby Smart said in the leadup to the Sugar Bowl.
Stockton's unassuming persona paints the picture befitting of a good ol' country boy from the foothills of Appalachia, thrust suddenly into the spotlight as Georgia's new starting quarterback ahead of a showdown with Notre Dame in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff.
The question is whether it's tougher facing a barrage of questions -- none of his answers spanned longer than 17 seconds Monday -- or Notre Dame's vaunted defense on New Year's Day.
"Maybe sitting here," the visibly uncomfortable quarterback said.
Life is never easy on the big stage, but Stockton proved himself three weeks ago at the SEC Championship Game, where he replaced injured starter Carson Beck in the second half of a 22-19 overtime win against Texas. With Beck unable to lift his throwing arm because of a substantial elbow injury, Stockton led the Bulldogs on three scoring drives, effectively erasing a deficit before throwing a costly interception that allowed Texas to tie the game on a field goal with 18 seconds remaining. A few moments later in overtime, Stockton rectified his mistake, lowered his shoulder on the run and absorbed a helmet-cracking hit to pick up a first down. One play later, running back Trevor Etienne won the game on a 4-yard touchdown run.
The win propelled Georgia to a first-round bye and the No. 2 seed in the CFP -- and Stockton into the role as a first-time starting quarterback.
He's also an overnight sensation, sparking hungry fans to learn more about their new superstar. Surely, you've heard the stories by now. Stockton still drives his grandfather's tan and beige 1985 Ford F-150, even if his father, Rob, would rather him switch to a newer, more reliable vehicle. The quarterback is an avid outdoorsman and helps raise 14 cows back home in Tiger, a small town at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains in northeast Georgia.
He recently built a fire pit with his roommates in the backyard to relax at nights. He drinks coffee in the mornings, and is usually the first one awake and the last one home after a long day of classes and film sessions. Five teammates, unprompted, referred to him as "humble" Monday.
The man has no enemies.
"He's a guy that you want in your locker room," said Georgia receiver Cole Speer, one of Stockton's four roommates. "He's a guy that you want when you're in a bad situation, to help you in any situation. He gives great advice and he's just really humble, a really good friend."
For the headline-grabbing stories as a chill guy off the field, there's still not much quantifiable information about him as an on-field performer. He threw for 71 yards and picked up eight more on nine carries against Texas, but that sample size is obviously small. He also hasn't thrown a touchdown pass since mop-up duty as a freshman in 2023.
"What makes him a good quarterback is he has an innate ability to make plays," said Bulldogs offensive coordinator Mike Bobo. "A lot of times people say 'make plays' and you think run around and get a first down. But I think he has an ability to extend plays with his legs to create opportunities to throw the ball down the field."
Recruitniks are well aware of Stockton's rise as a high school prospect. A well-regarded prospect from the ump, Stockton scorched the Georgia high school circuit at Rabun County, a Class 2A team, breaking multiple state records, including those once held by NFL starters Trevor Lawrence and Deshaun Watson. He was responsible for an insane 254 touchdowns and 18,024 total yards in 53 games, which included 13 games with seven or more touchdowns. When he went head-to-head against former 5-star Georgia quarterback Brock Vandagriff in high school, Stockton won.
Stockton, who began his process ranked as a five-star prospect and finished in the high-four-star range, slotted as the seventh-best quarterback in the 2022 Top247 rankings, but he didn't quite stack up to the likes of Penn State's Drew Allar or Clemson's Cade Klubnik in the same class.
"Looking back on his evaluation, the video game-like numbers certainly stood out, but our biggest question was how much more juice is there left to squeeze?" said Andrew Ivins, 247Sports' Director of Scouting. "The Stockton we saw in the second half of the SEC championship game looked at lot like the Stockton we saw at the tail of his prep career. He can engineer wins, but there are some limitations."
"I don't think he has as big an arm as Carson," said analyst Greg McElroy, who will call the game for ESPN on New Year's Day. "But that doesn't matter. Arm strength is valuable because it can make up for not [throwing] on time, but if you play on time, arm strength is completely insignificant. I saw Chad Pennington complete a lot of passes in the NFL with an arm that would be considered way below average."
Indeed, Georgia coach Kirby Smart didn't shy away from those evaluations, referring to Stockton as a great decision maker with accuracy but "not necessarily arm talent."
"All the players play harder for him," Smart said. "… He raises the skill level of everybody around him because of who he is. That's my reason for believing he's a good quarterback."
On the field, Stockton isn't the same laidback, chill guy you see answering questions in media settings.
"He plays with passion," said tight end Oscar Delp, one of Stockton's roommates. "There's nothing more he loves than playing football. I mean, he's such a genuine guy. When you see him walking around in the daylight, he's a normal guy, super genuine, super cool. He's everything you want in a buddy.
"I don't think there's a single play you can call that he can't do. The kid can do everything."
Stockton also provides an added dimension that Beck could not as a runner. Georgia is expected to utilize more designed run plays for the quarterback in the Sugar Bowl, especially after Bobo and Co. had three weeks to tweak the system to fit Stockton's strengths.
"He's handled it extremely well," Bobo said. "Going into this year I challenged him to prepare like you're the starter every week and he took that to heart. The previous year he really didn't prepare like he did this year."
The dichotomy between Stockton and Beck has been on full display since the SEC championship, whether it's Stockton's running ability or their choice of transportation; Beck drives a Lamborghini Urus Performante worth a reported $270,000.
Beck, projected as a Day 2 prospect in the NFL Draft, underwent surgery in Los Angeles to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow last week. He declared Saturday for the draft after an up-and-down final season that included 12 interceptions, the most by a Georgia quarterback since 2011. Beck did not attend Georgia's media session Monday, though he did call Stockton and offered advice: "He talked about preparing the right way and having fun and enjoying the moment," Stockton said.
Georgia's star running back has played alongside both quarterbacks. He also hitched rides in Beck's sportscar and Stockton's farm truck.
"I love both," Etienne smiled. "I feel like that F-150 is so underrated. People don't really appreciate the type of vehicle that is. I love it."
Rugged and tough, that's Stockton's persona on the field.
Georgia's new starter still wasn't saying much at the tailend of his 60-minute marathon with the media Monday before returning to the practice fields to prepare for Notre Dame.
"Everybody will be nervous. I'll be more anxious," Stockton said. "I'm excited for the opportunity."
