The Georgia football program will see another daunting recruiting choice with elite QBs the class of 2022. The state of Georgia will again present two elite nationally-rated peaches at the QB spot.
Both are dual threats. Both can sling that pigskin a country mile. Both are well-schooled with top-tier QB coaching and development. Both are also coveted by rival programs across every Georgia border.
The only difference between this and the 2018 recruiting cycle might be the long hair and 6-foot-5 frame of Clemson Heisman Trophy co-favorite Trevor Lawrence. They might not be equal in talent, but those two Georgians certainly look to be among the nation’s top 4 QBs by anyone’s rankings for 2022.
Which one should the Bulldogs prioritize? Is it simply a matter of taking the first one that is ready to commit? It is sometimes not that easy.
DawgNation has written plenty of stories about Rabun County’s Gunner Stockton. He’s a program changer in every sense of the word. Stockton has produced over 100 touchdowns worth of responsibility (with his arm or legs) through his first two seasons of high school football.
RELATED: Stockton is a special talent who will “unleash hell” on a football field
MJ Morris is another special talent we’ve covered in-depth this week on DawgNation. He played at 70 percent of his ability last fall but had several brilliant moments last fall. He is also a dual-threat like Stockton and a terrific athlete.
RELATED: MJ Morris shares a mature-beyond-his-years outlook on what’s going on right now in America
That was the topic of this week’s “Before the Hedges” program which streamed live on the DawgNation Facebook and DawgNation YouTube channels. The program in its entirely also at the top and the bottom of this page.
Stockton’s recruitment has certainly gotten a lot more heated over the last six months. Clemson, North Carolina and South Carolina would all love to add him as the QB anchor for their 2022 classes, too.
Taking a good look at MJ Morris and Gunner Stockton
Stockton currently rates as the nation’s No. 1 dual-threat QB and No. 29 overall prospect for 2022 for 247Sports. Morris is the nation’s No. 2 dual-threat prospect and No. 41 on that same scale. The 247Sports Composite rating is not available for either prospect at this time.
They are currently the Nos. 2 and 3 highest-rated QB prospects for 2022 and will likely remain at the very top of those rankings. They could very well climb a couple of spots.
That’s just a shade off the pace of the Fields and Lawrence trend in Georgia from the 2018 cycle.
Long-time national recruiting analyst Tom Lemming recently rated Morris over Stockton as his top QB in the class of 2022.
We included a few comments from Lemming on this week’s program regarding the matter. He’s an authority on QB prospects throughout the years. He can back up why he gave an award to Josh Booty over Peyton Manning years ago when both were still in high school.
Lemming will also recall some of the fun needling he has taken from Manning since over the years.
How does he view the Morris-Stockton debate for 2022?
- On the difficulty of ranking the 2022 QBs this early: “It is sort of apples and oranges with the top four guys so I go see everybody in person,” Lemming said. “… Those guys are all so closely aligned. It is almost interchangeable with those four guys.”
- On Morris: “He has got great upside because he [played well ] and was injured last year. He has terrific athletic ability. He has skills. He’s smart.”
- More on Morris: “I think as far as you have to project I think that MJ might be the guy. A lot of it depends on where they go. If they pick the right school. The school that is going to build the program around them. That’s why you just never know. Most of the guys in Georgia like MJ and Gunner probably do want to go to Georgia, but then Georgia gets such great quarterbacks every year. Only one is going to be the quarterback. That’s why Fields could probably have won the Heisman at Georgia had he stayed, but he wasn’t going to sit another year.“
- Another trait he noticed: “It just seems like MJ has a little more room to grow and develop.”
- On Stockton: “I thought Stockton could be number one, too. But Stockton might have reached his peak size-wise. Stockton seems to be only about 6 feet or 6-foot-1 right now, but when you watch him on film he’s a coach on the field. He’s a general.”
- More on Stockton: “At this stage, Gunner might be ahead of Morris as a passer and everything else and so is the kid from Dallas [Quinn Ewers] but they are in systems where they throw all the time.”
- His final word on Stockton: “Another thing with Gunner is he is a great kid, too. If I’m a coach, I want a guy like Gunner as my quarterback. He’s unselfish. He’s a team leader and he’s got everything going for him except that he’s not 6-foot-4. That’s the only thing with Gunner and his foot speed is good or just okay. He’s not going to be running a 4.4, but as a passer if he goes to the right system he is going to be a Heisman [trophy] candidate also. I thought he was brilliant with his ball placement and everything else. I really liked what he has going for him as a quarterback in the 2022 class.”
- On the final reason why he placed Morris ahead of Stockton at No. 1 for 2022:“I think collectively it is because he is an all-around athlete and his upside. I kept saying stats wise he is not up there with Gunner or any of the other three [top 2022 QB prospects] but when you look at upside, arm strength and foot speed, then he seems to be right there. It is apples and oranges right now at this stage, but I put him number one as a projection. The projection would be for him to have a great 2020 year. If he doesn’t, he may drop to number two or three or number four, too.”
That debate becomes very intriguing for DawgNation when taking into account that new offensive coordinator Todd Monken has really prioritized Morris since his arrival.
That’s not to say that he hasn’t been recruiting Stockton. The Rabun County star was one of the first recruits he got to know after he got the job at UGA, too.
DAWGNATION RECRUITING
(the recent reads on DawgNation.com)
- MJ Morris: New Georgia coordinator Todd Monken has made his recruiting a priority
- WATCH: Georgia commit Chaz Chambliss shows he has a bright future at OLB
- There’s a big potential development in the recruiting scope of 5-star CB Tony Grimes
- Kirby Smart’s comments on the 2021 recruiting cycle thus far laced with empathy and uncertainty
- Nation’s No. 1 CB prospect Tony Grimes places UGA among his top four schools
- BREAKING: All-American OL Dylan Fairchild has made his college decision
- Brock Vandagriff: How does that family feel about the JT Daniels transfer?
- The JT Daniels to Georgia buzz seems very real
- BREAKING: Elite 2022 DB Marquis Groves-Killebrew commits to UGA
- Who is Chaz Chambliss? Carrollton staff shares the goods on the new Bulldog commit
- Taking a deep dive at how well Georgia has been recruiting Metro Atlanta of late
- Elite 2022 defensive athlete Daniel Martin already has a “family” feel at UGA
- Brock Bowers: Nation’s No. 3 TE knows what he needs to do before his college decision
- De’Jahn Warren: The “nugget” for the nation’s No. 1 JUCO prospect with UGA
- Prince Kollie: The ILB target who had 1,085 yards as a receiver in 2019