Gamecocks lose Gunner; 5-star QB decommits
COLUMBIA, S.C. (BVM) — The South Carolina Gamecocks football team has undergone some major change in the past couple of months. In a 2020 season where the team was playing well below expectations, the school decided to mix it up. It started with the firing of head coach Will Muschamp, but the trickle down effect came into play.
Mike Bobo, who was the QB coach and offensive coordinator, was promoted to interim head coach and the team finished 2-8. Subsequently, Bobo jumped ship to become the QB coach and offensive coordinator for the Auburn Tigers, and defensive line coach Tracy Rocker followed him there.
With such a transformation in the coaching staff, recruits are no longer coming to SCAR to play for the coaches who invested their time in them. That was the case for 2022 five-star quarterback Gunner Stockton, who has now reversed his decision to come to Columbia, reopening his recruitment.
— Gunner Stockton (@GunnerStockton) January 12, 2021
The front-runner, of course, is assumed to be Auburn University and its new QB coach, Bobo. Bobo’s father, George, is actually one of the Stocktons’ family friends, and has worked with Gunner on his QB skills since a young age.
Whoever ends up with Stockton in the end, though, will be getting a college-ready prospect.
As a junior, the dual-threat QB was unstoppable, throwing for 3,128 yards and 45 touchdowns while rushing for 1,581 yards and another 26 trips to the endzone. Through his three years at Rabun County in Georgia, he has amassed 9,518 passing yards with 122 touchdowns and 3,416 rushing yards with 62 more scores.
The decommitment leaves the Gamecocks and first-year head coach Shane Beamer, the son of former long-time Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer, with just one remaining quarterback commit. That is 2021 three-star pro-style QB Colten Gauthier out of Georgia. The Gamecocks current QB room still has freshman Luke Doty and sophomore Ryan Hilinski.
The 6-foot-1, 220-pound Stockton has over 20 offers to choose from, including perennial powers like Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU and Ohio State. He has been selected to play in the All-American Bowl, and has another year of high school ball to make up his mind. While he will be dedicated to making the right college choice, a loss in this year’s state semifinals will have him focused on finishing the job this coming year.
