John Whittle image from 247Sports.com
Gunner Stockton, a 5-star recruit from Tiger, Georgia, withdrew from South Carolina on Tuesday.
Stockton made the announcement on social media:
He is considered the best defender in the 2022 class, the third player from the state of Georgia and the 27th overall, for 247Sports.com.
Per Steve Wiltfong at 247Sports.com, Stockton had committed to South Carolina on August 20, although he “gave coach Will Muschamp and his offensive coordinator Mike Bobo his promise. Muschamp was fired in November and Bobo was promoted to interim coach and since then he moved to Auburn, where he is the offensive coordinator under the new coach Bryan Harsin. “
Stockton was reportedly closest to Connor Shaw – the former South Carolina defender who is currently thedirector of player development in South Carolina – and Mike Bobo during the recruitment process. That makes Auburn the likely favorite to win over Stockton, although many schools seem to be back in the fray.
Stockton is coming out of an incredibly productive junior season that saw him launch for 3,128 yards, 45 touchdowns and just four interceptions while running for 1,581 yards and 26 points. In the era of widespread offenses and double threat defenders, he has the ingredients of a potential superstar.
It is a big loss for South Carolina and new coach Shane Beamer, who currently has no recruit of 3 stars or higher in the Class of 2022. Gamecocks have the 88th class of 2021, according to 247Sports.com’s composite ratings without 4 or 5 star recruits.