Gunner Stockton stood at a podium for the first time this spring in the old Georgia football team meeting room for more than eight minutes Tuesday night.
Stockton’s answers were short. He smiled often. His hands were in his pockets of his black Georgia sweat pants nearly the entire time.
Here was the quarterback who stepped in for an injured Carson Beck in the SEC championship game, helping lead the Bulldogs to the win over Texas and made his first career start against Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl loss in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal.
Now he’s the presumed starter.
“Yeah, It’s a different role,” said Stockton, who was 20 of 32 for 234 yards and a touchdown in the bowl game. “I play more of a leadership aspect. You’re leading every day, just that position, and being able to take command. Just lead the right way and be me.”
Nobody would confuse Stockton for the more flashy Beck, a two-year Georgia starter who pulled his name from the NFL Draft after declaring and transferred to Miami.
Beck, cashing in with NIL last year, was noticeable and he made headlines again in Miami when luxury cars were stolen from the home he lived in with Miami basketball player and social media influencer Hanna Cavinder.
Stockton was asked when he found out that Beck was transferring to Miami.
He said “like everybody,” when the news broke, not from Beck directly.
“He was busy,” Stockton said. “I know he’s been busy right now just with spring ball and everything but hope he’s doing good.”
That didn’t appear to be any sort of shot at Beck even if some made it that way.
Stockton actually said earlier he took away “a lot of good things from Carson.”
“Heck, I watched last night, I’ve been working on getting my footwork and everything honed in and he has really good footwork,” Stockton said of Beck….
Source link : https://www.onlineathens.com/story/sports/college/2025/03/30/how-gunner-stockton-approaches-spring-with-georgia-football-in-new-role-uga/82720487007/
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Publish date : 2025-03-30 09:06:00
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