Get to know the 2 versions of Georgia commit Gunner Stockton

JEFFERSON, Ga. – There are two versions of Gunner Stockton in Tiger (Ga.) playing for Rabun County. Both versions of the senior Georgia commit combine to make him an elite player.

Stockton is the No. 101 overall player in On3’s top 300 in class of 2022. He is also someone Kirby Smart and staff believed in enough to recruit even though he was committed to a rival.

Smart and staff took the state’s top-ranked quarterback even after signing the state’s top quarterback the year prior in Brock Vandagriff.

Who are the 2 Gunner Stocktons?

The one Gunner Stockton that appears most of the time has been taught the ways of the Southern gentleman. Stockton carries an almost “aww shucks” attitude. He smiles and speaks politely to everyone he comes in contact with.

Stockton uses “Yes, sir” and “No, sir” every time he addresses someone. He holds the door when he sees a young lady approaching.

His mother makes sure he makes his bed every day and puts his dishes in the sink. He follows those instructions.

Rabun County High School’s principal Justin Spillers considered the quarterback a role model in the school.

“He treats people like the rockstar that people treat him like,” Spillers said. “He’s a humble kid. It’s neat to watch. He’s a great role model for our kids.”

And then football games happen.

“It’s time to unleash hell when he gets out on the field,” Rob Stockton, Stockton’s father said.

Gunner Stockton turns into a different person during football games. He unleashes deep-rooted roars after touchdowns. As a quarterback in the open field, he seeks the contact.

Gunner over the top for a score early. #GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/KHNhdYNKFP

— Jeremy Johnson (@JeremyO_Johnson) August 21, 2021

Stockton’s thrown for schools for colleges for years on campus. He’s played on the 7-on-7 circuit. The 6-foot-1, 220-pound quarterback has proven he can do the necessary things on the football with his passing and running ability.

Enjoying the moment before jumping into college football

The duality of his persona has helped Gunner Stockton take control of his football career and life. Stockton decommitted from South Carolina near the end of 2020 and committed to Georgia in January despite J.T. Daniels, Carson Beck and Brock Vandagriff all being on the roster.

He wanted to be at Georgia.

“He’s always had to earn his own keep,” Rob Stockton said. “I think that helped a lot. I think when the Lord blesses you, I think you need to recognize the blessing you have and maximize to glorify him and not yourself. He gets that. College football is tough. It’s going to get tough.”

This summer, Stockton backed off the camps. He didn’t take a ton of visits. Stockton went to Athens on an official in June and that was that.

He confirmed with the coaching staff at Georgia if they needed to see anything from him. When he was told he was who they wanted, he cut back his workload.

When the family looked at his summer calendar, there were only a few days of free time between the beginning of summer and the start of the season.

Stockton will enroll early at Georgia. Time with the people closest to him in Tiger won out. The criticism or at least comments about not attending the Elite 11 and some other national events made their way up to the north corner of Georgia.

“He chose not to do some things this summer that people really gave him a hard time about,” Rob Stockton said. “He knew all those things were simple things to get personal glory instead, he wanted to glorify his team. He’s never missed a workout a practice, nothing. He didn’t want anything to interfere with that… We threw at almost every school, and we threw beside most of those top people at those things and we know where we stand. That’s all that really matters in the recruiting world.”