Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton has added another major accolade to a season already packed with them, earning a spot in the 2026 National Football Foundation National Scholar-Athlete class and becoming a William V. Campbell Trophy finalist.
The announcement, made Wednesday by the NFF and the College Hall of Fame, places Stockton among 18 honorees recognized for academic achievement, football success and leadership. Each player in the class receives an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship and will be honored at the 68th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 8 at the Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. From that group, one winner will claim the 37th Campbell Trophy and see the scholarship increase to $25,000.
For Georgia, the selection carries real weight in the school’s award history. Stockton is the Bulldogs’ 16th NFF postgraduate scholar, which leads the Southeastern Conference, and Georgia is one of six SEC schools represented in this year’s class. It is also Georgia’s third quarterback to be honored, and the first since Aaron Murray in 2013.
Stockton is the first Bulldog to receive the distinction since former Georgia receiver and current Los Angeles Charger Ladd McConkey was honored in 2023. Across program history, Georgia has now produced 16 players on this list, with seven coming in the 2000s: Stockton, McConkey, Rodrigo Blankenship in 2019, Murray, Drew Butler in 2011, David Greene in 2004 and Jon Stinchcomb in 2002. Stinchcomb remains the only Bulldog to win the Campbell Trophy.
The long list of Georgia honorees also includes Bobby Etter in 1966, Tommy Lawhorne in 1967, Billy Payne in 1968, Tim Callaway in 1969, Tommy Lyons in 1970, Tom Nash in 1971, Jeff Lewis in 1977, Terry Hoage in 1983 and Matt Stinchcomb in 1998.
Stockton’s rise has been steady since his redshirt season in 2022, when he served as a scout team quarterback as Georgia won the SEC title and its second straight College Football Playoff National Championship. Since then, he has become one of the program’s most decorated players on and off the field.
A native of Tiger, Ga., and Rabun County High School graduate, Stockton finished seventh in 2025 Heisman Trophy voting and was a finalist for both the Manning Award and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. He was named a Third Team All-SEC selection and served as team captain in 2025, completing 269 passes for 2,894 yards and 24 touchdowns.
He also led SEC quarterbacks with 462 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns. His 69.69% completion percentage ranked second in Georgia history.
He capped that season by earning MVP honors in the 2025 SEC Championship Game, where he accounted for 195 yards and three touchdowns. This season, he has already thrown for 1,570 yards and 16 touchdowns through seven games, including five touchdown passes against Western Kentucky to match a school record.
He currently ranks second nationally and first in the SEC in completion percentage at 74.1% and passing efficiency at 185.87. His 16 touchdown passes rank second in the SEC and are tied for 10th in the FBS.
Stockton has also been central to Georgia’s recent team success. He helped the Bulldogs win consecutive SEC championships in 2024 and 2025 and reach the CFP quarterfinals in both seasons.
In the 2024 SEC Championship Game against Texas, he entered after Carson Beck’s injury in the second half and helped steer Georgia to the win before making his first career start in the CFP quarterfinals. He also played a role in Georgia’s 2023 Orange Bowl championship and in a three-year run that saw the Bulldogs go 36-6 and finish in the nation’s top 10 each season.
Georgia is ranked No. 5 in the AP Top 25 this season and is 6-1.
His work in the classroom has matched his production on the field. Stockton earned a 3.27 GPA while finishing his 2025 Sport Management degree, then went on to earn his Certificate in Learning Design and Technology. He has been named to the SEC Honor Roll four times, earned Athletic Director’s Honor Roll recognition for eight semesters and made the Dean’s List during his time at UGA.
Beyond football and academics, Stockton has spent much of his time in Athens in community service. His work has included visits to area hospitals, a youth football camp, volunteering at Camp Rainbow and Camp Sunshine, hosting ESP, giving Christmas gifts to the Athens Boys & Girls Club and visiting local schools to encourage reading and educational goals.
The National Scholar-Athlete program, presented by Fidelity Investments, began in 1959 and was the first program to award postgraduate scholarships based on athletic performance, academic success and leadership.
Stockton and the fifth-ranked Bulldogs, 6-1 overall and 4-1 in the SEC, are set to face Florida at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Saturday, Oct. 31, in the Invesco QQQ Atlanta Gridiron Classic. ABC will televise the game at 3:30 p.m.
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