What a time for the first start of your collegiate career.

REQUIRED READING: Mike Bobo readies Gunner Stockton to step in as Georgia football QB for CFP vs. Notre Dame

Stockton, who has spent the last two years serving as a backup to starter Carson Beck, takes over the starting role with Beck out for the rest of the season after he underwent surgery to repair his ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) due to an elbow injury he sustained in the SEC championship game win for the Bulldogs over Texas.

Stockton has only attempted 51 passes in his career and has thrown as many touchdowns as he has interceptions (two). But coach Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs have all the faith in the former four-star recruit.

"This kid is a winner. This kid's special. He's a winner," Smart said of Stockton postgame to ESPN's Holly Rowe after Georgia's SEC championship win.

Here's everything to know about Stockton ahead of Wednesday's CFP quarterfinal matchup vs. Notre Dame:

Stockton is a former four-star recruit who committed to Georgia only after de-committing from South Carolina in 2021. That's despite Stockton being an in-state recruit. As a senior, he threw for 4,136 yards, 55 touchdowns and one interception, earning Gatorade Georgia Player of the Year honors.

He was among the early enrollees for the Bulldogs in the 2022 recruiting cycle but redshirted his true freshman season with Stetson Bennett and Carson Beck ahead of him on the depth chart. Entering his redshirt freshman season, Stockton remained third on the depth chart behind Beck and Brock Vandagriff after the three battled for the starting position.

Following the 2023 season, Vandagriff entered the transfer portal, which allowed Stockton to become Beck's backup in 2024 despite Georgia adding Arizona State transfer and former Florida signee Jaden Rashada to the room.

Stockton appeared in three games this season, with his most notable action coming in the SEC title game, where he played the entire second half following Beck's injury. In his three appearances, Stockton completed 25-of-32 passing attempts (78.1%) for 206 yards and one interception. He was 12 for 16 passing for 71 yards and an interception against the Longhorns.

According to 247Sports' Composite rankings, Stockton was a four-star in the 2022 recruiting class. The 6-foot-1 signal-caller out of Rabun County High School in Tiger, Georgia, was the seventh-ranked QB in the recruiting class and the 12th-best player in the state.

Stockton committed to the Bulldogs on Jan. 28, 2021, after de-committing from South Carolina following the firing of head coach Will Muschamp.

Here are Stockton's year-by-year college stats

Here's a look at Stockton's game-by-game stats this season:

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news -- fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.