Georgia Bulldogs HC Kirby Smart makes strong statement on Gunner Stockton ahead of College Football Playoff Sugar Bowl
The Georgia Bulldogs will be starting an extremely inexperienced Gunner Stockton at quarterback in the Sugar Bowl quarterfinal matchup of the College Football Playoff against Marcus Freeman and his Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
With Carson Beck fresh off surgery to repair the UCL in his throwing arm, Kirby Smart will have to rely on his redshirt sophomore to carry Georgia to victory.
Gunner Stockton already managed to lead Georgia to victory in the SEC Championship after Carson Beck was lost due to injury just before halftime. Stockton used the threat of his mobility and quick decision making to keep Texas’ defense guessing just enough to pull off the win. However, this time around the Bulldogs’ opponent Notre Dame has had more than 10 days to prepare for him specifically. Can he pull off the win against the Top 5 defense of Notre Dame?
Kirby Smart was asked about what makes a good quarterback, and what specifically makes Gunner Stockton good at the Sugar Bowl Media Day and he had this to say:
“The number one thing a quarterback has to have is decision making skill. Number one he makes good decisions. Number two thing for a quarterback is accuracy. Not necessarily arm talent, but accuracy. [Gunner Stockton] has accuracy…Athletic ability and talent probably takes over third. He has those strengths.
Stockton demonstrated he could make good decisions (outside of his one interception where he was trying to throw the ball away), he has the accuracy, and it’s clear that he boasts incredible athletic ability and talent. But it’s even more than that. Stockton’s competitive drive and leadership demonstrated against Texas sets him apart from many others in the game too.
As you can see in the post below, it didn’t matter that Stockton was inexperienced when it came to his attitude and physicality. He sought out contact, hoping to demoralize Texas quickly in the second half of the SEC Championship game.
Coach Smart continued on some of the intangibles that make Gunner Stockton not only a good quarterback, but exactly the player they need right now heading into the College Football Playoff Quarterfinals:
[Gunner Stockton has] all the intangibles in terms of toughness, character, [and it] embodies what he was raised on. His dad was a really good football player. He played at Georgia Southern. He’s been raised around football. He’s a coach’s son. All [our Georgia] players play harder for him. Do you make the players around you better? That’s what you look for in a quarterback. I think 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.
Gunner Stockton is a good quarterback.
Inexperienced? Absolutely.
But the way that Georgia players rallied around him against Texas, the strong statement and vote of confidence from Kirby Smart, and proven success against the number one defense in the nation already shows that Stockton has what it takes. Let’s just hope that he and Georgia can put it all together for 60 minutes against Notre Dame.
We’ll be back with more Georgia Bulldogs coverage here at A to Z Sports here soon! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!
And if you would like to watch the full media day press conference interview with Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart you can do so in the video below!
