Gunner Stockton Is Ready for His Sugar Bowl Redemption - and He’s Bringing Georgia With Him
NEW ORLEANS - Gunner Stockton’s first start at quarterback for Georgia came with all the makings of a storybook moment. A hometown kid from Rabun County, just 80 miles up the road from Athens.
A lifelong Bulldog fan, carrying the memory of a grandfather who once walked the same campus and cheered for the same team. A Sugar Bowl stage, bright lights, national spotlight.
But the story didn’t end the way he wanted. Georgia lost that game to Notre Dame, 23-10. And for all the personal milestones - 234 passing yards, a touchdown, a solid 20-for-32 performance - that loss has lingered.
“I’ve had a bad taste in my mouth, to be honest, ever since,” Stockton said. “I don’t really handle losses that well.”
That’s the competitor in him. And now, a year later, Stockton and Georgia are back in New Orleans with a shot at redemption - not just for that Sugar Bowl loss, but for a season that’s been all about growth, grit, and second chances.
Georgia earned its way back here by taking down Alabama in the SEC Championship, punching a ticket to the College Football Playoff and setting up a rematch with Ole Miss. For Stockton, it’s a full-circle moment - a chance to rewrite the ending.
And this time, he’s not the wide-eyed first-timer anymore. He’s a battle-tested starter with 14 games under his belt, an SEC title, and even a seventh-place finish in the Heisman voting. That’s not just growth - that’s leadership forged in the fire of the SEC grind.
“He wants to go out and, like our whole football team, play well in this game,” said offensive coordinator Mike Bobo. “I know he’s got a bad taste in his mouth about our first opportunity in the playoffs last year.”
There’s no question Stockton has leveled up since that debut. Just ask Ole Miss, who saw him at his best back in October when Georgia edged them out 43-35. Stockton accounted for all five of Georgia’s touchdowns that night, and the Rebels had no answer for his dual-threat command of the offense.
“I thought he went out there and played free,” Bobo said. “I think as that game went on, it gave him confidence, and it’s carried over throughout the rest of the year.”
That idea - playing free - became more than just a mindset. It became Georgia’s identity down the stretch. And no one embodied it more than Stockton.
He wasn’t trying to be perfect. He wasn’t playing tight or overthinking every throw. He was just playing football - and playing it at a high level.
“I think it was just a mindset of not really caring what happens and just playing ball,” Stockton said. “Not care about throwing a pick or just the little doubt you have as quarterback.
You’ve got to be able to get that out of your mind. Just go play ball.”
That sounds simple, but it’s anything but - especially when you’re under the microscope of a College Football Playoff game. The interviews, the media buzz, the weight of expectations - it’s a lot for any player, let alone a young quarterback still carving out his legacy.
But Stockton’s already lived through the worst-case scenario. He’s felt the sting of a postseason loss.
He’s navigated the noise. And now, with experience on his side and confidence in his game, he’s ready to step into the Sugar Bowl spotlight once again - this time, with something to prove.
Georgia’s got a quarterback who’s not just grown up - he’s locked in. And if he plays with the same freedom and fire he showed in October, Ole Miss - and the rest of the college football world - better be ready.