INDINAPOLIS – Georgia fans weren’t the only ones surprised to see quarterback Gunner Stockton pick himself off the turf at Mercedes-Benz Stadium following the vicious hit he took in overtime in the SEC Championship against Texas.

So was the player who delivered the lick – Longhorn safety Drew Mukuba

Mukuba was asked about the hit during his media session at the NFL Combine.

“Yeah, I was a little surprised,” Mukuba said. “The situation we were in, all I was trying to do was get the ball by any means as possible.”

The hit was brutal.

But somehow, Stockton held onto the ball and wobbled to his feet before Carson Beck came in and handed off to Trevor Etienne, who scored the touchdown to give Georgia the SEC Championship.

“I was just thinking … just hit him as hard as I can to where the ball comes out,” Mukuba said. “If the ball had come out, then that would have been a win for us. But, you know, shout out to him. He was able to get up, bounce it off, and he was good.”

The win was Georgia’s second over the Longhorns in many games.

Mukuba said he was impressed with what he saw.

“That was a good team. Obviously, every time they showed up to play us, they definitely showed up. They were well prepared,” Mukuba said. “It was a team full of good players all around from the D-line to the O-line to their receivers, the quarterback, running back, and their back end … that was a good team.”

In interviews, you’ve probably heard Syracuse head coach Fran Brown laud his time with the Bulldogs working with Kirby Smart.

Orangemen defensive back Alijah Clark said he and his teammates have heard similar praise.

“Yeah, definitely. He's (Brown) a smart guy, so he knows what he's doing, relaying everything, because that’s a championship program,” Clark said. “He’s bringing that to Syracuse. We won 10 games this year, just off the first year. That's really rare for a team, especially when bringing in a whole group of new players. He just put people in that mindset, taking things he learned from UGA. I expect those guys to go all the way real soon.”

Clark credits Brown for his success, but not just in football.

“We’re both from Camden, New Jersey, so I've known Coach Fran since like 6th, 7th grade. He just always told me to keep working. He's seen something in me. I don't know what it was that he saw, but he's seen something in me. He kept me out of trouble and made sure I got to where I'm at right now.”

You'll find a lot of tight ends in this year’s NFL Draft who look at former Georgia great Brock Bowers and hope to one day emulate him.

Former Texas star Gunnar Helm is definitely one.

“Guys like Brock are truly changing the landscape of what a tight end can do and what a tight end is going to continue to do in the National Football League. Guys like George Kittle, Travis Kelsey, TJ Hockenson, guys like that,” Helm said. “I try to take a lot of things from each one of those guys' games. I like to try to be the best-balanced tight end that I can possibly be because I think that every guy that I just named is one heck of a balanced tight end.”

Helm likes to think he can show the same versatility displayed by the former Georgia great.

“I would love to take some things from Brock's game,” he said. “Obviously, winning the Mackey multiple years and having his historic run at Georgia and then obviously what he did last season with the Raiders … it would be great to have a similar career.”

When Alabama didn’t make the playoffs in the first year under Kalen DeBoer, former Crimson Tide safety Malachi Moore said it did not come as a surprise.

“We knew it was going to be hard winning a national championship, with him coming in the first year after a coaching change,” Moore said. “Coach Saban had been for 17 years. Everything was kind of new to everybody. We had a lot of growing pains; we had to go through some learning curves.”

Moving forward, Moore believes the Crimson Tide will be in a better position to make a title run.

“Coach DeBoer has been here a season under his belt, he has the right staff around him and has been able to recruit his players around him,” Moore said. “I think Alabama will be in a great place moving forward with Coach DeBoer. He’s motived to win and hates to lose – just like Coach Saban. They’re both like-minded in that aspect. I’ve got tremendous respect for Coach DeBoer just coming in and taking the job.

"A lot of people wouldn’t have wanted to come in after the greatest coach of all time and try to fill those shoes because it’s a difficult task. The fact he was willing to step up and take that challenge says a lot about him.”