Receiver Bailey Stockton was a late addition to Georgia Tech's 2023 recruiting class but could end up being a pretty significant pick-up.
The former Prince Avenue Christian standout has started to carve out a more significant role in the offense and even on special teams during his second collegiate season, following a redshirt year in 2023 when he was on pace to see playing time then before an injury cost him the rest of the season.
Stockton said that time on the shelf during his true freshman year along with a veteran to learn from like Malik Rutherford has been a big benefit for him so far during his time on The Flats.
"Yeah, it was rough at first. I wanted to come in and provide for the team obviously," said Stockton of last year. "But injuries set me back. But I learned a lot under Malik (Rutherford). He's a special talent obviously, and I've learned a lot from him."
Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key added that he's been impressed with the progress Stockton has made in such a short amount of time and is looking forward to seeing how he develops this year and in the future while learning from "crafty" teammates in the receiver room like Rutherford, who is one of top receivers in yardage in the ACC while operating a lot out of the slot.
"Bailey's going to be a really good player. He is a good player. He's improved a lot in the last year. Everyone, starting with myself, and the offensive staff, we're all extremely confident in Bailey Stockton to be in there," said Key. "And it's helped taking some of those reps off of Malik (Rutherford) who has so many reps. As Bailey continues to get the experience that Malik has...you know Malik is a crafty, crafty little player now and knows the game very well, has a lot of banked reps behind of with things that have happened. When you play in the slot, the skillset you have to have in there, a lot of it is mental too, of understanding coverages, understanding adjustments, understanding how defenses play and then being on the same page as the quarterback. I've been extremely happy with Bailey and his development."
Stockton has played in all eight games so far this season for the 5-3 Jackets in some role, whether on offense or as a kick or punt returner. He tied his career high in catches last week against Notre Dame with two and set a new career high in yardage with 37 yards. He's also returned one kick and two punts this year for a total of 47 yards.
He said his confidence has really grown based on how he and the rest of the team go about their business in practice each week.
"I've got a lot of confidence," said Stockton. "We do a lot during the week. We practice hard. Like I said earlier with Malik, I learned under him. He's a great role model. I watch him day in, day out. So I'm pretty confident."
While sitting just a few miles outside of Athens, Prince Avenue Christian has become a bit of a Georgia Tech pipeline in recent years, providing top talent to the Jackets through Stockton, followed in the next recruiting class by quarterback Aaron Philo and now through top 2025 defensive line target Christian Garrett, who flipped his commitment from Georgia to Georgia Tech back in August.
Stockton said he and Philo, who have now been teammates on the high school and college level, have developed a strong relationship and he is excited to see what the true freshman QB can accomplish during his Georgia Tech career.
"He's awesome," commented Stockton about Philo. "That's my guy. We talk every day about stuff. He's being patient. He's learning under two great quarterbacks in Zach Pyron and Haynes King so he's doing good. Every time people ask me that (about Philo), I just think he's a ballplayer. He knows what to do, makes the right reads. He's just real confident."
With a trip to Blacksburg on the schedule for Saturday, while establishing the running game is always a priority, Stockton said he knows the passing game will be key with the talent in the secondary on Virginia Tech's defensive unit.
"It's going to be big," said Stockton. "They've got two great corners out wide. They've got good safeties. They've got a good team so we've got a challenge ahead of us, but we're ready for it."
