The college football world was introduced to Georgia backup quarterback Gunner Stockton when he came in to play the second half of the SEC Championship Game against Texas for injured starter Carson Beck.

Stockton flashed and made a few plays. He took a brutal hit in overtime which led to the game-winning touchdown on the next snap, helping the Bulldogs edge the Longhorns and win the SEC title.

With Beck out for the rest of the season, Stockton will make his first career start for No. 2 Georgia versus No. 7 Notre Dame in the Allstate Sugar Bowl in New Orleans at the Caesars Superdome on New Year’s Day.

Stockton and his family, who are natives of Tiger, Georgia, have had a busy last few weeks. Their hometown is located in Rabun County, about 75 miles from Sanford Stadium.

The Stockton family bleeds Red and Black.

Gunner’s sister is named Georgia, and she’s an UGA alumnus. Gunner’s paternal grandfather, Lawrence, graduated from UGA’s pharmacy school. Lawrence’s wife also attended and graduated from Georgia. So, it’s safe to say the Stocktons are Bulldogs at heart.

Gunner’s dad, Rob, said his family and the community of Rabun County stand behind his son. They believe in him.

“The number one thing for Gunner is he’s known our community, and especially our family, his friends, and those people closest to him, believe in him,” Rob Stockton said. “We’ve always loved him and want the best for him. This is something that he’s worked for [and] something he’s dreamed of. You look at pictures of your kid, and they’re throwing the ball in your backyard and dreaming of being the starting quarterback at the University of Georgia. It has happened. It is unreal.”

Rob believes his son will be ready for Notre Dame on January 1.

Against Texas to start the second half, Stockton led Georgia on an 10-play, 75-yard drive, resulting in the team’s first touchdown of the game.

Rob and his family felt the love and support of Georgia fans and players embracing Gunner.

“It was bittersweet,” Rob said of the moment. “We've never wanted anything negative to happen to any kid on the team, especially not the starting quarterback at the University of Georgia. Carson [Beck] has done a lot of great things for the University of Georgia. He’s worked extremely hard and been very efficient running the offense. He’s an unbelievable first-round talent [at] quarterback. As a team person, you don’t want anybody to get hurt, but you also hope their backup is prepared and got themselves ready to step in.

“I think that’s what the world saw with Gunner; he was prepared,” Rob continued. “He had been waiting for his time and sitting patiently, knowing, ‘Hey, if my number’s called, I want to do the best I can for the University of Georgia and my teammates.’ And [there’s] no better way to show your love for your teammates than to go headstrong into trying to score a touchdown and win the game at the end of [overtime].”

Rob coached his son when he participated in the North Georgia Youth Football League. With Gunner as its starting quarterback, the team went 65-0 and won six titles in six years.

According to his Rob, Gunner never shied away from contact. He’s always craved being physical and playing with grit.

“We didn't have a prima donna style about our family or community,” Rob said. “I think representing this community the right way is to represent yourself in a way that you roll your sleeves up, get your hands dirty, and get after it.”

Georgia standout safety Malaki Starks also knows a thing or two about Gunner’s grit and physicality.

Before they were teammates at Georgia, Starks’ team from nearby Jefferson competed against Gunner’s squad in the North Georgia Youth Football League. Stockton’s team always won.

Starks and Stockton also competed against each other as starting quarterbacks during their senior years when Rabun County faced Jefferson. Starks helped Jefferson defeat Rabun County in a nearly five-hour game due to weather delays.

“I've been playing against [Gunner] since I was five,” Starks said. “He beat me every year when we were little in rec league. I got him two times in high school. But, since I've been growing up, he's always been the guy that, you know… We’re going to play Rabun County, and, ah dang, we've got to play Gunner. That's how it is."

Gunner’s name is also unique. Rob and his wife, Sherrie, named their son after his paternal great-grandfather, V.D., a hero who served in the U.S. military as an aerial gunner during World War II. V.D. Stockton passed away a year before his great-grandson was born.

“So, the irony is that the name on his birth certificate is ‘V.D. Stockton.’ And 100%, we weren't naming him V.D.,” Rob said with a smirk. “So with all that, he was known as ‘Gunner Stockton’ because he was a gunner in World War II, got shot down twice, and, of course, lived through both of those. And so when we saw that newspaper article, my wife [saw that] he was referred to as ‘Gunner Stockton’ throughout the article. We immediately knew that was the way we could show respect to him, and the circle of life would take place in that way. So we named him ‘Gunner Stockton,’ and that's why it's spelled with an ‘er,’ not an ‘ar.’”

Rob believes his son’s name fits the mold and the kind of football player he is.

“I think it fits him well,” Rob said. “I can't imagine him being anything other than Gunner Stockton.”