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Athens Banner-Herald
Bailey Stockton is on other side of another Georgia football rivalry
- Story byAthens Banner-Herald
- Bailey Stockton is on other side of another Georgia football rivalry
Bailey Stockton didn't just grow up right outside of Athens in Bogart.
He was all in on Georgia football with a big tie to the school.
His father, Patrick, worked as director of the Office of Biosafety at UGA.
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"I went to every game since I can remember," Stockton told the Athens Banner-Herald. "I was always on the field, in the locker room. I was a big-time Georgia fan."
His favorite player was running back Sony Michel.
"Every Saturday, I was always going to be in Athens for the game because that was pretty much my childhood," Stockton said.
Georgia showed interest in Stockton but as a walk-on.
"I didn't want to do that," said Stockton who had 157 catches for 2,666 yards and 45 touchdowns combined in his junior and senior seasons catching passes from current Florida quarterback Aaron Philo.
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Stockton signed with Georgia Tech in February 2023. Philo joined him the following year to play for offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner, a former Georgia offensive analyst.
Now they all have gone from one Georgia rival to another in Florida.
The Gators will go up against Georgia Saturday in Atlanta in a top 20 matchup, but Stockton may not be able to play.
He was listed Wednesday night as doubtful for the game after sustaining a foot injury Oct. 17 against Florida.
"I've always wanted to be a part of this rivalry," Stockton said last week. "I was a part of the Georgia Tech one so I might as well be a part of this one."
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Stockton was asked if he took it personally that he wasn't offered a scholarship by Georgia considering he didn't receive an SEC offer coming out of high school.
"You know, being from there, growing up there, I really wanted to go there, just to be quite honest with you," Stockton said. "It didn't work out. It was God's plan to be honest. I'm happy to be in Gainesville and happy to be a Gator now."
He said he likes living in a college town and always wanted to play in the SEC.
"So it kind of worked out perfect for me," Stockton said.
The 5-foot-10, 183-pound Stockton is second on Florida with 27 catches for 289 yards and 2 touchdowns.
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Those are already single-season career highs. He had a combined 38 catches for 439 yards and a touchdown in three seasons at Georgia Tech.
"Really glad we got Bailey," Florida coach Jon Sumrall said Wednesday. "Probably more talented than given credit for. A lot of times we sell guys like him as just blue collar, work-ethic, try-hard guys. He's really talented. He's got great short area quicknes, catches the ball well with his hands. He's a feisty blocker, has great awareness."
Sumrall said the "intangibles" Stockton brings is what he's looking for in players at Florida with toughness, consistency and being a great teammate.
"It just seems like good things happen around Bailey Stockton because he's a winner," Sumrall said.
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Philo and Stockton have not only connected on passes but are roommates.
They've played together since middle school on the Oconee Elite baseball team.
Faulkner going to Florida is a big reason Stockton became a Gator.
"He sees a good future in me," he said. "He was one of the first guys to take a chance on me out of high school. I'm loyal to that."
Stockton played against Georgia in the 2024 and 2025 seasons with Georgia Tech.
"We're going back to Atlanta so I feel like a lot of my family members are going to be there," he said.
His father has taken a new job in Atlanta. Stockton's mother, Kimberly, teaches at Oconee Primary School.
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Stockton if he can go will play for the first time in a rivalry where his biggest memory was the 2007 game when he was little and Georgia emptied the sidelines after the game's first touchdown in a 42-30 Bulldog win.
For the record, Stockton isn't related to Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton, but he talks often with former Georgia Tech teammate, Isiah Canion, who transferred to Georgia but has battled an injury. They used to hang out at Canion's apartment.
Stockton played football growing up with Georgia defensive back Khalil Barnes.
"It made our job easy as Little League coaches because we had two of the fastest, most athletic guys on the field at all times," said Ken Barnes, Khalil's father who coached them as an offensive coordinator from third to sixth grade. "Everybody would key on KB and we would use him as a decoy and Bailey would come out on the other side. He's a good kid."
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Stockton had 4 catches for 31 yards in Florida's win at Texas on Oct. 17. He left the game with a right foot injury but returned.
He's familiar with Mercedes-Benz Stadium after playing there several times between Prince Avenue and Georgia Tech including last year's 16-9 Georgia win.
He had a pair of catches in that game, but Stockton has a more prominent role now.
"It's a blessing," he said. "It's something I've always worked for. To be honest, I just want to win and helping be a part of winning football is the best part."
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Bailey Stockton is on other side of another Georgia football rivalry
