ATHENS — Comparisons between Gunner Stockton and Haynes King are as common and seemingly inescapable as the popular “6-7” catchphrase, which also happens to be their standing in the Heisman Trophy odds.
King and Stockton, at each turn, have made clutch, highlight-friendly plays in leading Georgia Tech and Georgia, respectively, to 9-1 records with two weeks remaining in the season.
Indeed, Stockton and King are trending toward leading their respective teams into the College Football Playoff, with their much-anticipated head-to-head clash approaching at 3:30 p.m. on Nov. 28 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Big Ten quarterbacks Fernando Mendoza (Indiana, -105) and Julian Sayin (Ohio State, +170) are the current betting favorites, per DraftKings.com, while SEC quarterbacks Marcel Reed (Texas A&M, +550) and Diego Pavia (Vanderbilt, +1600) rank third and fourth ahead of Notre Dame tailback Jeremiyah Love (+2500) in the top five.
But recent notable performances have kept Stockton and King on the Heisman Trophy radar, from which one or both could elevate after their high-profile, nationally televised showdown on ABC.
Stockton and King could be positioned for another boost of exposure should they lead their teams into their respective conference championship games on Dec. 6, as well.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart, who saw Stetson Bennett earn a trip to New York as a Heisman Trophy finalist on the strength of an MVP performance in the 2022 SEC championship game, made a low-key pitch for Stockton on Monday.
“I would defer to you guys and the people that judge that, in terms of what that consists of; it’s hard for me to lobby for that (Heisman Trophy),” said Smart, who preaches that individual awards take care of themselves when team goals are met.
“What I will say is he embodies everything about that award: resiliency, character, determination. All those words that embody a Heisman Trophy winner, Gunner’s got it, and he’s done it on the biggest stages, in front of the biggest audiences, against some of the toughest competition at a really high level,” Smart said. “So he’s playing well, and he’s playing to make the people around him better. His value to our team is immense.”
Georgia Tech coach Brent Key has not been shy about making a case for King’s Heisman Trophy candidacy, either.
“Find me somebody else that brings more value to the team, that is truly the epitome of what the team is rooted in,” Key said last month. “He can run, he can throw. I’m glad he’s on my team.
“I don’t have a vote for it … . It’d be a shame if he’s not in New York, and I think he will be.”
King has carried more of the Georgia Tech offense — quite literally — than has Stockton for Georgia, although the Bulldogs’ quarterback has made his case with efficiency and fourth-quarter comeback wins against Tennessee, Ole Miss and Florida.
Neither is projected to be an elite NFL draft prospect, but King and Stockton represent the sort of dual-threat player that is proving effective at the collegiate level.
ABC analyst Kirk Herbstreit noted Stockton’s standout performance against Texas on Saturday.
“The Heisman is just so wide-open, and it just feels like the last few years it comes down to who gets hot at the end of the year,” Herbstreit said during the broadcast of the Bulldogs’ 35-10 win over the No. 10-ranked Longhorns. “Gunner Stockton has stepped up … . This kid, he has played so well in these big games.
“He had five total touchdowns tonight and five incompletions against Texas, a top 10 team.”
Stockton, in wins over top 10 teams Ole Miss and Texas, had a combined passing line of 50-for-60 for 518 yards with eight touchdowns and one interception, and rushed for 88 yards and two touchdowns in the victories.
King, meanwhile, worked his magic earlier Saturday against upset-minded Boston College, rallying his Yellow Jackets to save season championship hopes in the final 2 minutes.
King led Georgia Tech on a 13-play, 69-yard drive to set up the game-winning field goal, finishing 26-of-34 passing for 371 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing 15 times for 53 yards.
Boston College coach Bill O’Brien, previously a quarterback coach for Tom Brady with the NFL’s New England Patriots and, more recently, 2021 Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young at Alabama, could only shake his head in defeat.
“You know that Haynes King, man,” O’Brien said, “that guy, like I said, he wills his team to win.”
King, on the game-winning drive, was 2-for-3 passing for 25 yards and carried five times for an additional 27 yards.
Both Stockton and King have shined bright when needed, with ESPN advance metrics showing Stockton has accumulated 49% of his total yards when trailing in games with FBS opponents, while King has 46% of his yards in such situations.
Only Pavia — 51% — has a higher percentage of his total yards in such situations. Other quarterback Heisman contenders: Reed (33%), Simpson (28%), Mendoza (18.5%) and Sayin (10%).
Here’s a statistical look at Stockton and King, both Heisman Trophy-worthy contenders entering the final two weeks of the regular season:
Passing yards per game: King 251.0; Stockton 226.9
Completion percentage: King 72.7; Stockton 70.7
Passing TDs/INT: Stockton 19/3; King 10/2
Times sacked/fumbles: King 8/6; Stockton 12/2
QB rating/efficiency: King 159.19; Stockton 156.90
Yards per completion: King 12.28; Stockton 11.18
Rushing yards: King 854; Stockton 377
Rushing average: King 5.9; Stockton 4.8
Rushing TDs: King 14; Stockton 8
Schedule strength: Georgia 12th, Georgia Tech 88th
Record: Georgia 9-1, Georgia Tech 9-1
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