Gamecock fans ended their Thursday on a high note with some amazing news. 2022’s number 1 dual-threat quarterback, Gunner Stockton committed to South Carolina over Georgia, and other high power 5 teams. Oh did you know he’s a 5-Star as well? Carolina fans are going to love this kid, and everyone can see why! On Thursday evening Gunner took to his personal Twitter account to tweet his official decision:
Stockton indicated in July that the Gamecocks were one of two finalists. With the other final team being the University of Georiga Bulldogs. The Tiger, Georgia native is the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback and No. 34 player overall in 247Sports’ composite rankings for 2022. Dating back to the year 2000, Stockton is one of the best recruits to commit to South Carolina almost ever. His 0.9861 composite rating on 247Sports is the seventh-highest overall and the best for a quarterback, eclipsing former Gamecocks signal-caller Stephen Garcia (0.9759).
Find yourself asking why Gunner Stockton is such a highly sought-out recruit? Well, Stockton’s numbers as JUST a sophomore highlight just exactly that reason. He threw for 3,472 yards and 43 touchdowns while running for 1,179 yards and NINETEEN scores on the ground. That is absolutely unreal to hear of from a high school quarterback, let alone someone who’s only a sophomore. Stockton has two more years of high school yet and I only see his stats going up from here. We shouldn’t be surprised is he ends up breaking a couple of records why he’s at it too. Here’s a look at those insane sophomore highlights:
Gunner’s Future
South Carolina has yet to win more than nine games under head coach Will Muschamp, and the Gamecocks are 1-2 in bowl games through his first four years. His competition will be pretty tough. This includes Ryan Hilinski, who had an up-and-down freshman season. He finished the season throwing for 2,357 yards, 11 touchdowns, and five interceptions while completing 58.1 percent of his passes. He was the No. 2 pro-style QB in the 2019 class, per 247Sports’ composite rankings, so he’ll presumably remain the starter for 2020 and likely 2021. Muschamp also added Luke Doty for 2020, with Doty sitting fourth in 247Sports’ composite rankings for top dual-threat QBs.
When he arrives, Stockton should have some serious competition for the QB1 role. When South Carolina reeled off three-straight 11-win seasons under Steve Spurrier, the team was built around dominant defenses and a strong running game. That recipe probably won’t work anymore in the SEC as teams have embraced the spread offense more and more. Getting a commitment from Stockton after having already signed Hilinski and Doty shows Muschamp is looking to put a big emphasis on the aerial attack going forward.
