Why Georgia replaced Carson Beck with Gunner Stockton in the SEC championship game

Georgia quarterback Carson Beck was injured at the very end of the 2024 SEC championship game’s first half against Texas on Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

The No. 5 Bulldogs were without their starter for the rest of the game as reserve quarterback Gunner Stockton entered the contest to start the second half instead of Beck.

NBC Sports’ Nicole Auerbach reported that Beck was not expected to return because of an injury, although the severity of said injury was not known at the time of publishing.

Georgia was forced to rely on Stockton to guide it to a possible SEC title over No. 2 Texas — and potentially a national championship if Beck is done for the rest of the year.

Carson Beck took a big shot there pic.twitter.com/23lj7W4qKF

— Mr Matthew CFB (@MrMatthew_CFB) December 7, 2024

Who is Georgia QB Gunner Stockton?

Stockton is a sophomore quarterback for the Bulldogs, and prior to Saturday’s SEC championship game, he threw passes in just two Georgia games this season: against Tennessee Tech in September and against UMass in November.

On the season, Stockton has completed 13-of-16 passes for 135 yards with one sack and no touchdowns or interceptions.

He threw passes in four games in 2023, including in Georgia’s Orange Bowl win against Florida State.

Stockton was a four-star recruit out of Tiger, Georgia, according to 24/7 Sports.