Clemson of course has recruited generational quarterback talent from the state of Georgia in recent years, signing Deshaun Watson from Gainesville in the 2014 class before landing Trevor Lawrence from Cartersville in 2018.
Watson and Lawrence set the bar extremely high for Peach State signal-callers. But one of the next big-time talents in the state is Gunner Stockton, a class of 2022 recruit from Tiger (Ga.) Rabun County High School.
More than a dozen major programs have already extended verbal offers to the 6-foot-1, 210-pound Stockton, who threw for 2,917 yards and 34 touchdowns with only six interceptions as a freshman last season. To put it into perspective, Lawrence passed for 3,053 yards as a freshman in high school.
Stockton is garnering early attention from Clemson, and if the Tigers pull the trigger on an offer down the road, he would certainly be enticed by the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of Lawrence and Watson.
“I’m interested in Clemson,” Stockton told The Clemson Insider recently. “They are national champions. Their QB room always has a stud.”
The Clemson staff played host to Stockton for an unofficial visit this past spring.
“I spent a full day in the spring and watched a practice, attended meetings, and did a campus tour,” he said. “I really enjoyed it. The atmosphere was great.”
Stockton plans to check out a few schools this fall, though his primary focus is not on his recruitment right now but rather winning games with his squad.
“I will be visiting some places, but I have not thought about it much yet,” he said. “I’m totally focused on my high school team right now. I hope to make it to a Clemson game this season.”
It’s very early in the process for Stockton, who still has two more prep seasons ahead of him after this one. But he appreciates the fact that he’s drawing interest from the defending national champs at such a young age.
“I hope coaches and players realize that I am a competitive team player,” he said. “The coaches have told me and my high school coach that my skillset fits their offense. That is exciting.”
Stockton, who also rushed for over 700 yards and 17 touchdowns as a freshman, is tabbed as the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback and No. 2 overall prospect in the early 247Sports rankings for the 2022 class. His early offer list includes Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Arkansas, Missouri, North Carolina, NC State, West Virginia and Penn State among others.
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