6 reasons Georgia fans shouldn't worry about Gunner Stockton replacing Carson Beck

Reports have come out on Monday that Georgia football starting QB Carson Beck will miss the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1 after suffering an elbow injury during UGA's SEC Championship win over Texas. This news is very concerning because Beck is one of the top QBs in the country, and losing him will make winning a National Championship very difficult.

But there is no need to panic, because Georgia's backup Gunner Stockton has a lot of great qualities about him that should cause Georgia fans to have a lot of confidence and not worry.

Been in the program for 3 years

Stockton has been in the Georgia football program for three years now. So he knows the offense just as well as Beck does and has also had plenty of time and experience playing with the rest of the first team players on offense in practice.

If this was his first season at Georgia this would be more concerning, but Stockton knows the playbook really well and the staff knows what things he does and does not do well that they can use to their advantage.

Great athleticism and running ability

One thing that Georgia has struggled with this season is facing opposing quarterbacks who are mobile and effective runners. But Georgia is not alone because most defenses throughout the country struggle with this as well. And Stockton fits that mold to perfection.

We saw that in the SEC Championship game against Texas as his running ability kept the Longhorns' defense on their heels the entire second half. This will be a new aspect to Georgia's offensive scheme, but it will be something opposing defenses could struggle with.

Excellent at touch passes and RPO's

While Stockton's at his best when he is able to use his legs to pick up big yards, he is still very solid with touch passes and run-pass options. His running ability definitely helps in both of these cases because the defense has to respect him as a runner, so that makes passing the ball that much easier.

Healthy backfield alongside him

Another thing that will help Stockton is having a healthy backfield next to him. Beck was able to overcome all of the injuries to Georgia's running back room because of how great of a passer he is, but Stockton isn't quite on the level as a passer that Beck is.

But unlike Beck, he will be able to rely on the elite running back room alongside him in the backfield. This was also seen against Texas in the SEC Championship game because Trevor Etienne had a great game, as did the UGA offensive line. So them being able to keep playing at a high level will really help take the pressure off Stockton.

Texas experience will help

The bright side from Beck suffering his injury right before halftime was that Stockton was able to get a half of meaningful football under his belt. Even better is the fact that it came against an elite defense like Texas.

So Stockton being able to lead Georgia to victory against an elite defense like Texas will give him a lot of confidence because Georgia likely won't face a better defense than the Longhorns until the National Championship game.

Highly ranked player out of high school

A lot of people online have said that they think Stockton is a "scrub." That however couldn't be futher from the truth.

Stockton was a high four-star recruit out of high school, coming in just outside the top 100 according to 247Sports. He also was the Gatorade Georgia football Player of the Year in high school as well. So even though he hasn't proven himself in college yet, he is not a "scrub" like some people claim.