Gunner Stockton was nowhere to be found in the preseason conversations around Heisman favorites. Beyond the Arch Manning Road Show, there was LaNorris Sellers at South Carolina and DJ Lagway at Florida getting more hype than the quarterback from Tiger, GA.
But now Georgia is into their SEC schedule and enough games have taken place to start giving consideration to Stockton. So far he has outperformed all three of those quarterbacks and should be getting mentioned in the Heisman conversation. This past weekend really showed the difference by comparison.
When Texas fans are caught booing their star player, then there's cause for concern with Manning being a Heisman favorite. As noted by USA Today, Longhorn coach Steve Sarkisian said, "He knew he was missing some throws that I think he’s comfortable making." Ten consecutive incompletions did not add to the overall average play by Manning vs UTEP.
South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers had to leave the game against Vanderbilt due to a head injury and to date has 476 total yards and three touchdowns through three games, with one interception in the 31-7 loss to the Commodores. Will he return to form or be affected by this injury in later play this season?
DJ Lagway went 33 of 49 for 287 yards and one touchdown in the loss to LSU Saturday. He also had a staggering five interceptions. Is that worthy of Heisman consideration?
Gunner Stockton shines in the stat line
Along with 721 passing yards and four touchdowns, Stockton adds 124 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Most importantly he has zero interceptions across three games.
Can Stockton get better? Sure. Will he learn to stay in the pocket to make key throws instead of relying on his legs too much. You bet. But this guy is a winner. Coach Smart had this to say about Stockton via 247sports.com, "I thought he grew up tonight. He grew up a lot."
Is it too early to talk of Heisman for Stockton, or anyone else? Perhaps, but if Stockton continues in this consistency, he deserves an invite to New York.