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Georgia QB Gunner Stockton takes his hits and keeps on ticking

Jeremy Johnsonby: Jeremy Johnson10/14/25JeremyO_Johnson
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Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton (14) during Georgia’s game against Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Al., on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. (Conor Dillon/UGAAA)

Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton has shown toughness of every kind in his first handful of starts. In his first in the fire game action against Texas in the SEC Championship Game Stockton was knocked out of the game after his helmet came off from an Andrew Mukuba hit.

Stockton got the first down for Georgia. A play later, Carson Beck returned to hand off to Trevor Etienne to win the SEC Championship.

Fast forward to Saturday, Stockton added a few more big hits to his ledger. Stockton took a big hit on a sack in the first half.

Later, he scrambled to the right and was blasted by former 7-on-7 teammate and Auburn cornerback Kayin Lee. The hit resulted in Lee being ejected for targeting.

Stockton popped up, strapped his chinstrap, and went to the next play. Stockton never wants to show that the hits are impacting him. It’s just who he is.

“I never really want to lay on the ground,” Stockton told reporters on Monday. “It’s never really a good look, so I always, I don’t know, I’ve always just popped up.”

Gunner Stockton’s toughness and mobility a key to Georgia’s offense

It’s part of the job for Stockton. Georgia’s offense has benefited from his toughness. He’s added an element to Georgia’s offense as a runner in addition to his ability to extend plays and move around.

Stockton leads Georgia in rushing touchdowns in 2026 with six.

“Just resiliency, man. He’s so tough. I mean, he takes shot after shot,” Smart told reporters after Georgia’s win over Tennessee. :You know, I thought he did a good job with the run game — I’m talking about his run game. He saved us on a couple of third downs. In the red area, he made a couple of runs. That plus-one run game can be big for us if he can protect himself. I thought he grew up tonight. He grew up a lot. He stood it in there. The fourth-down throw that he made was really good.”

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