Why Gunner Stockton Is the Talk of Georgia Football Right Now

As the Georgia Bulldogs march through another high-stakes college football season, attention naturally locks onto starting quarterback Gunner Stockton. While Stockton commands the offense on the field, interest is also high surrounding his personal life, particularly his long-term relationship with girlfriend Julianna Dooley.

Here is a closer look at Dooley, her career path, and her deep-rooted ties to college football royalty.

## Who Is Julianna Dooley?

Stockton and Dooley have been together since 2020, after crossing paths during the COVID-19 pandemic while she was staying at her family's North Georgia lake home near Stockton's hometown.

Dooley graduated from the University of Georgia in 2026, earning degrees in psychology and human development and family sciences. Professionally, she works as a part-time pilates instructor at SCLPT Studio in Athens, Georgia, a role she began in March 2025. She has noted that teaching pilates allows her to blend physical fitness with mental well-being, with future plans to pursue graduate studies in psychology.

## Deep College Football Roots

Dooley’s background is deeply intertwined with the sport of football. Her father is veteran coach Derek Dooley, whose extensive career spans prominent college programs like LSU, Missouri, and Alabama, alongside NFL stints with the Dallas Cowboys, Miami Giants, and Miami Dolphins. Most recently, Derek transitioned away from coaching to pursue a political path, running as a Republican candidate in the 2026 U.S. Senate election in Georgia.

Even more notably, Julianna's grandfather is the legendary Vince Dooley. He served as the iconic head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs from 1964 to 1988 and later as the university's athletic director until 2004, cementing an enduring legacy in Athens before passing away in 2022 at age 90.

As Stockton commands the gridiron for the Bulldogs, his relationship with Dooley connects him directly to one of the most storied families in SEC history.