Marcus Freeman outlines how Notre Dame is preparing for Gunner Stockton with limited film

Georgia will be without starting quarterback Carson Beck for the Sugar Bowl against Notre Dame and throughout the rest of the College Football Playoff. He is being replaced by Gunner Stockton, who played well in relief of Beck in the SEC Championship Game.

While the Bulldogs will have to adjust to having a new starting quarterback, Stockton moving into a starting role is also an adjustment for Notre Dame. Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman recently explained how his team has been preparing for Gunner Stockton ahead of the Sugar Bowl.

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“Well, I think you look at the 13 games they’ve played, they’re not gonna be a completely different offense with the new quarterback,” Marcus Freeman said Tuesday on The Herd with Colin Cowherd. “You evaluate, there’s about 83 plays with him that we have in a cut up from the second half of the SEC Championship and some other times during the season.”

Stockton has completed 25 of 32 passes on the season for 206 yards with no touchdowns and an interception. His only extended playing time of the season came in the SEC Championship Game when he was 12 of 16 passing for 75 yards and an interception.

Freeman noted that he has been impressed by Stockton when he was gotten opportunities.

“There’s some things he does really, really well, within their system,” Freeman said. “He makes really good decisions. He makes fast decisions. He obviously can extend plays with his feet. A little bit more QB run. But we’re still going to plan to see the things we’ve seen their offense do, no matter who’s in at quarterback.”

Georgia announced in a statement on Monday that Beck is out for the season after undergoing surgery to repair his UCL. Beck and his family had been exploring options for him to be able to continue to play this year, but ultimately it was determined that surgery was the only choice.

“Georgia quarterback Carson Beck underwent successful surgery Monday on his right elbow to repair his ulnar collateral ligament (UCL), performed by renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles, Ca,” the statement shared. “A full recovery is expected with throwing to begin spring of 2025.”

Beck suffered the injury on the final play of the first half against Texas in the SEC Championship.