No team has done a better job recruiting quarterbacks in recent years than Georgia and coach Kirby Smart.
The Bulldogs got a commitment Thursday from five-star QB Gunner Stockton. The Georgia native is ranked as the No. 2 pro-style QB in the class of 2022 and had been committed to South Carolina. Stockton re-opened his recruitment after South Carolina fired Will Muschamp and hired Shane Beamer.
“I have been to Georgia a lot, I know the people, and I have a great relationship with [offensive coordinator Todd] Monken,” Stockton told Rivals’ UGA Sports. “He is a really good coach, we have a really good connection and we’ve had some really strong conversations.
“I have gotten to know him well since he got to Georgia, he has a great offensive mind, and he has shown me how I would fit into his offense. He is fun to listen to, he is very creative, and I think it will be a great fit for me working with him.”
Stockton’s commitment isn’t official until he signs with Georgia. As a member of the 2022 class, the earliest he can sign is in December. If and when he does, he’ll be the fifth top-five dual-threat or pro-style QB to sign with the Bulldogs since 2017. And that’s a list that doesn’t include current Georgia starter J.T. Daniels. The former five-star recruit was the No. 2 pro-style QB in the country in 2018 behind Trevor Lawrence when he signed with USC out of high school.
Georgia has the most top QB commitments since 2017
Stockton’s commitment to Georgia means it’s a great bet that no team will have signed more top-tier QBs than the Bulldogs from 2017-2022. Just two other schools — Clemson and Ohio State — have gotten four signings or commitments from top-tier QBs in that span.
At the moment, 30 teams have signed or gotten a commitment from a QB in the top five of Rivals’ dual-threat or pro-style QB rankings. And only 12 teams have gotten multiple commitments from top-five QBs in that span; Georgia, Clemson, Ohio State, Alabama, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Washington, Auburn, Stanford, South Carolina and USC.
Will this recruiting success lead to more QB transfers?
Signing lots of top-tier QBs can be a two-sided proposition. It gives a team a better chance to find a great starting quarterback. And it also can lead to turnover in the quarterback room.
Two of the three top QBs that Georgia has signed since 2017 transferred to other schools. While 2017 QB Jake Fromm stayed two more seasons with the school after Georgia went to the national championship game in his freshman season, 2018 signee Justin Fields transferred to Ohio State after a season and 2019 signee D’wan Mathis transferred to Temple after he started the first game of the 2020 season.
Daniels transferred to Georgia ahead of the 2020 season and assumed the starting role midseason after he recovered from a knee injury he sustained at the start of the 2019 season. As a senior in 2021, Daniels will likely be backed up by five-star QB Brock Vandagriff. He signed with the Bulldogs in December and is the top pro-style QB in the class and the No. 7 prospect in the country according to Rivals.
With Stockton set to arrive in 2022, Georgia is poised to have both Stockton and Vandagriff on the roster for at least two seasons. Unless one of them transfers, of course.
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