Want to attack every day with the latest UGA football recruiting info? That’s what the Intel brings. This entry details a weekend conversation with new 5-star QB commit Gunner Stockton from beautiful Rabun County in Northeast Georgia.
Everyone knows Gunner Stockton. Everyone seems to love Gunner Stockton.
The newly-minuted Georgia Bulldog commitment had his first 7-on-7 for the highly-organized “Hustle, Inc.” 7-on-7 football program on Saturday at Greater Atlanta Christian in Norcross.
RELATED: The must-read stories about new UGA commit Gunner Stockton
Stockton continued to draw a crowd. That’s not specific to the media that was there to see his first public throws as a Georgia Bulldog commit either. There’s something about quarterbacks that naturally makes them the center of attention.
But there’s even more of that with Stockton. There’s a simple country boy’s unassuming way about him. That has never changed. But his peers always just seem drawn to him. He’s that type of performer. It is sort of like how everyone wants to share the stage with a headliner on those music awards shows. They know they’ll sound better.
Nothing has changed there. Players just seem naturally drawn to him.
What has changed with Stockton? For starters, he seemed a bit thicker than even he looked during his junior season. His base and legs especially. He’s a powerful runner and his lower half reflects how he is able to slip or just shred so many arm tackles.
The 6-foot-1 junior carries every bit of his 220 pounds well. DawgNation pulled him aside for a few minutes and covered a few topics on Saturday. Here’s the one which stood out.
Does he plan to stick around for the long haul and compete at UGA? Is he really the anti-transfer portal QB?
“Georgia is where I am going and where I will graduate,” Stockton said on Saturday.
If we’re being honest, we haven’t heard that phrase “where I will graduate” used by the 5-star recruits all that often when they describe joining an ultra-competitive QB depth chart for an annual SEC or national championship contender.
Yet that’s really the kind of thing that those who know Stockton very well would expect him to say.
What else did Gunner discuss with DawgNation? Check out the featured video above and below for his thoughts on the following:
- What was Kirby Smart’s reaction to him committing to UGA?
- How did he let Smart know was coming? What words did he use there?
- Which elite 2022 prospects does he have his sights set on playing with?
- What has it been like since he committed to Georgia?
- How happy did he make everyone in Rabun County?
OVERTIME: More big thoughts on Gunner Stockton
Collaborating with Stockton on Saturdays to come was a theme on everyone’s mind on Saturday, too. Stockton’s decision to choose UGA just moves the dial for a lot of talented skill guys and offensive players in general in the Southeast.
It is not just the state of Georgia either. Stockton’s network now seems to stretch out at that 5G speed. Consider the thoughts shared by two out-of-state prospects regarding the Stockton news.
Tyler Booker is the nation’s No. 3 OT and No. 35 overall recruit (247Sports Composite) in 2022. He hails from Connecticut but plays for mythical 2020 national champion IMG Academy in Florida. He’d visited UGA a few times prior to the pandemic.
Georgia is in a battle with Florida and a lot of the biggest of boys for Booker’s talents. Yet the Bulldogs now bring a big “Gunner” to that scrap.
“I played with Gunner in the Adidas All-American Game and he was just an all-around baller,” Booker said this week. And the way he carried himself was that of a leader.”
Does that give the Bulldogs an even better chance now?
“Most definitely,” Booker said. “Time has proven that the key to UGA’s success is a great QB and that’s what Gunner is.”
Linebacker Jalon Walker is the No. 2 player in North Carolina. The Under Armour All-American ranks No. 46 overall and has the Bulldogs in his top 6.
“That was a big win for the ‘Dawgs yesterday,” he said this week. “Going back to back in big quarterbacks. I thought that was a huge pickup.”
Think that’s something? Imagine just how the Georgia boys feel now. Those are guys that have seen him perform on the 7-on-7 circuit for Hustle Inc. since he was in the eighth grade. Stockton took a season off to still play baseball, but he’s been a flagship QB for the highly-successful outfit.
How two very big in-state targets feel about Gunner to UGA
Oscar Delp got to work out with Stockton for the first time on Saturday, too. The impressive 4-star TE seems very undervalued as the nation’s No. 10 TE at this time. He’s playing with Hustle Inc. this spring for the first time, too.
Delp and Stockton seemed to find each other for reps a pretty good bit.
“It was awesome,” Delp said. “His accuracy and how smooth he threw the ball really stood out to me. I also felt like we communicated well and already developed some chemistry. I really look forward to playing with him this season.”
Kojo Antwi, another 4-star prospect, is cleared to work out just yet but was also in attendance. He’s about two or three weeks away from on-field work as he recovers from a pulled hamstring.
“Gunner actually texted me an hour before he committed,” he said. “I think it plays a big factor. Georgia getting him is huge because he’s in my class. I talk with him about every week or so now.”
Those two have yet to be on the same field together.
“It is just reputation,” Antwi said. “I haven’t played with him before.”
Stockton had a simple script when he let him know early what he was going to do. Antwi didn’t even know how he got his number.
“He’s like ‘Hey, Kojo I am committing to Georgia and I want you to be a part of this and we can make something big while we are here.’ Yeah.”
Antwi and Delp have been quoted before about their feelings regarding Stockton’s move. Their candid thoughts were anticipated on Saturday. There was another receiver at the Hustle Inc. practices who went into great detail about how playing with Stockton in college has always meant a great deal to him.
That will be the next story published today on DawgNation.
RELATED: How did the rest of the state’s top prospects feel about Stockton to UGA?
SENTELL’S INTEL
(the recent reads on DawgNation.com)
- Assessing the ripple effect of Gunner Stockton choosing UGA
- Gunner Stockton: The must-read stories to know on Georgia’s new 5-star QB commit
- Recruits react on social media to the Gunner Stockton decision
- BREAKING: Gunner Stockton makes his final decision to commit to UGA
- FILM ROOM: 5-star Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins is next up in the DawgNation film room
- Oscar Delp: Georgia continues its all-out blitz recruiting for its No. 1 TE target for 2022
- Malaki Starks: How does the Charlton Warren news affect the priority 5-star ATH?
- Mykel Williams: State’s top-rated junior DL prospect ramps up his decision timeline
- DawgNation film room: Impressive 3-star OL Jared Wilson
- BREAKING: Georgia gets a commitment from 3-star junior LB Donovan Westmoreland
- Kojo Antwi: Speedy in-state WR is a huge name to know in the 2022 class
- In-state safety Emory Floyd in on the shortlist of the fastest prospects in the 2022 class
- Emmanuel Henderson: Nation’s No. 1 junior RB already has a strong link to UGA
- Terrion Arnold: All-American DB gives a very good look at his final three schools
- Brock Vandagriff: His QB trainer worked with Justin Fields and Trevor Lawrence
- Jalon Walker: The All-American LB target who rattles teeth and aspires to fix them
- Brock Vandagriff: A pair of key “Building Brock” stories about the 5-star UGA signee