Georgia’s Carson Beck, one of the most sought-after QBs of the 2020 recruiting class, was initially committed to Alabama. But back in February 2019, he decommitted from the program. A month after this, he pulled the trigger for the Georgia Bulldogs. “Ever since about eighth grade, I had always wanted to play at Georgia. That was kind of like my dream school in a way, and they never offered me early. Obviously, I liked Alabama. Nick Saban, great coach. I respect him, have full respect for him,” Beck had said AL.com.

“But whenever all the offensive staff started leaving and I was like, ‘I have no one to talk to. I don’t know any of these guys. I really don’t have a relationship with them. So, when I de-committed, I still considered Alabama, I wanted to meet the new coaches, and that’s when Georgia came in. And I just absolutely fell in love with their coaching staff, and honestly the reason I chose Georgia is I feel like those coaches can develop me to get me where I want to be.” Unfortunately, the enthusiastic journey was halted suddenly by a season-ending injury.

Beck injured his right elbow on the final play of the first half in second-ranked Georgia’s 22-19 overtime win against Texas in the SEC championship game on December 7. He underwent successful surgery Monday to repair his ulnar collateral ligament (UCL), according the school officials. Naturally, he will not be available for the Bulldogs in the College Football Playoff. So Kirby Smart has put his trust in his sophomore, Gunner Stockton, to fit the big shoes in against Notre Dame. But will Stockton lead the Bulldogs to the national championship game?

football analyst Josh Pate pointed out that Carson Beck’s season-ending injury is a blessing in disguise for Kirby Smart and Co. Even though Beck went down, Georgia managed to rally and beat Texas with Stockton at the helm. “What I think is the infinitely more workable side of the bracket and I’m going to have some confidence that what I said about Georgia happens and I think if they can get to the title game at that point, they’ve proven they can win with Stockton and I’m still, I know it sounds crazy, I am rolling actually with Georgia still to win the whole thing over what looks like a super team from Columbus, Ohio, a few days ago,” Pate said.

When Stockton entered the SEC Championship Game against then-No. 2 Texas, the Bulldogs were losing 6-3 and collected a miserable 54 yards in the first half, including negative rushing yardage. When Stockton entered the game, the offense seemed to become rejuvenated.

Stockton led a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive headlined with passes of 18 and 19 yards to Arian Smith and Lawson Luckie respectively. His final line didn’t jump off the page: 12 of 16 for 71 yards, 8 yards rushing, and an interception. Four of his six drives ended in points, including a game-winning touchdown drive in overtime.

In his only other extended time against an FBS opponent, Stockton came off the bench in a 63-3 beat down of Florida State and threw for 96 yards and two touchdowns. The point is that Stockton showed the flairs of his talent right from his high school days.

He lighted up Georgia High School record book, setting all-time records for passing touchdowns (177), passing yards (13,652), and rushing touchdowns (77). He passed Clemson legends, Deshaun Watson, and Trevor Lawrence to capture the state records. Stockton raised his hands when the team needed him the most and displayed an impressive performance. He completed 12 of 16 passes for 71 yards and added 27 rushing yards.

Pate highlighted that the Bulldogs don’t need to score a ton of points to win; they can rely on their overall team strength. And added that sometimes, when a star player gets hurt, it can actually elevate the performance of the rest of the team. In college football, players often rise to the occasion out of pride and determination.

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman thinks that Stockton can be a threat to them; as he said, “He can run their offense. And we’ve done some things a little bit differently. He can extend plays with his legs. Good athlete.” He did not stop there and added, “The thing I probably noticed most about. This more than anything. And watching those 80 plays is he’s an ultra-competitive individual. You could just tell by the way he celebrates, by the way he goes.”

No doubt the Bulldogs have shown resilience in tough situations, and Stockton has the chance to prove himself as a capable starter. If he can lead Georgia to victory in the College Football Playoff against Notre Dame, it could set them up for a strong title run, and Freeman can find himself in a hot spot. Let’s see what Kirby Smart thinks of the big game.

Kirby Smart on Georgia’s prep for the College Football Playoff

Well, Christmas is around the corner, and the Bulldogs are preparing to play against Notre Dame. Fans, are you ready for a thrilling game? Will it be an easy win for the Bulldogs with the new quarterback? Not at all. Fighting Irish came up with a victory over one of the strongest teams this season, Indiana, 27-17. Smart shared his thoughts on Notre Dame during a press conference on Monday, just ahead of their game on January 1.

When asked about the differences and similarities between this Notre Dame team and past ones he’s faced at UGA, Smart said, “The physicality I see when I watch Notre Dame play is pretty incredible on both lines of scrimmage. The way they play, the style of play they have. So I mean, comparing those teams is hard for me because there’s so many years in between, but this is a really good, solid, fundamentally sound team that doesn’t beat themselves. They play good defense—great defense—and they’re really physical on the lines of scrimmage. And they’ve got a really athletic quarterback. So there’s a reason why they’re at this point in the season.”

Talking about how the extra time has helped Gunner Stockton prepare, he added, “Well, I would say just experience, right? Just practice. He got lots of reps prior to these practices, but he’s getting much more now. I do think knowing that when you get ready for an opponent like Notre Dame, you need time. We haven’t known who we were going to play for; you know, I guess now what, 24-48 hours we’ve known, 72 hours.” Throughout the season, we have seen Smart defending Carson Beck and standing beside him like a rock. Will Stockton be the next Beck?