Mike Farrell Sports

College Football Recruiting, Opinion, and Analysis

Who is Stetson Bennett?

Alec Nederveld goes in depth on the Quarterback who could lead Georgia to their first repeat National Championships

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Sep 3
Sep 3

Born on October 28th, 1997, and growing up in Southeast Georgia, Stetson Bennett IV is the starting quarterback for the University of Georgia. But he’s more than that. He’s a National Champion, a Heisman Finalist, a former Georgia walk-on, a junior college transfer, and “The Mailman”. Like many boys in Georgia, he grew up a Bulldogs fan. His parents met in Athens, and he has gone to games since he was a young boy.

But it wasn’t likely he would play there. His only FBS offers were to Group of Five schools Middle Tennessee State and Georgia Southern. He was 5’10, 185, and physically didn’t project play at a high level. Despite his small size, he tried to stand out for something else. During Bennett’s recruiting process, he would wear a USPS hat while slinging the ball at camps, and the Mailman moniker stuck.

One of Bennett’s traits that have led to his success is his belief in himself. Instead of going to one of the lower schools that offered, he chose to chase his dreams and play at his parent’s Alma Mater. Year one was rough for Bennett. He was stuck on the scout team and didn’t take a single snap of in-game action. After realizing he would rot away in Athens, he left for Jones County Community College in Ellisville, Mississippi. In his single season at Jones College, Bennett boosted his stock and became a three-star recruit. He was planning on going to Louisiana, but Georgia offered late to be a backup, and Bennett couldn’t turn that offer down.

In 2019, The Mailman didn’t do much. He played in five games and threw two touchdowns to only one pick as Jake Fromm’s backup. He was still higher on the depth chart than before he went to Jones College, and with Fromm graduating, Bennett could become the starter in 2020.

He needed a lot of luck, and despite being the third string in fall camp, 5’11 Stetson Bennett IV became the starting quarterback for a prestigious SEC school. Jamie Newman would opt out in August, JT Daniels had a knee injury, and D’Wan Mathis was ineffective against Arkansas. So he was benched for Bennett in the second quarter after the offense was ineffective leading to a 7-2 Bulldogs deficit. After taking over, Bennett finished with an efficient 211 yards and two touchdowns. He started and won the next two games against top-fifteen-ranked Auburn and Tennessee. Then came their next game against Alabama: a 41-24 loss. Bennett had a completion percentage below 50% and threw three interceptions.

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Two weeks after the Bama game, Georgia took their second loss of the season in the World’s Largest Cocktail Party to Florida. Bennett had the worst game of his career: finishing 5-16 for seventy-eight yards, a touchdown, and a pick, and was benched for D’Wan Mathis in the 44-28 loss. After this game and a cancellation against Missouri, JT Daniels took over. He started the last four games, winning all four and the Peach Bowl against Cincinnati.

Georgia QB Stetson Bennett and co.

Like in 2020, Bennett was supposed to be the backup in 2021. While he had less competition, he was still behind JT Daniels. But similar to last year, Daniels was hurt. He had upper-body issues, and guess who was there in relief? Stetson Bennett. Other than the Clemson, South Carolina, and Vanderbilt games, Bennett would start every game for the Bulldogs. Bennett’s advantage over Daniels other than health was his ability to scramble. He’s undersized, but a lot quicker and an underrated runner.

For twelve Saturdays, it didn’t matter who the Georgia quarterback was. But the thirteenth in Atlanta led to the first loss in the season. In the SEC Championship, Georgia allowed the most points all season and scored the second-fewest against the Tide. The team overall played a bad game, but Bennett deserved some of the blame too. He had two second-half interceptions, including the dagger pick-six.

After a bad performance and a break, Smart could have benched Bennett for Daniels like the prior year. But he stuck with the steady hand in Bennett and his gamble paid off. Against Michigan, Bennett had 313 yards, three touchdowns, and no turnovers as the Dawgs moved to Indy for a rematch against Alabama. This time, Bennett and Georgia wouldn’t be stopped. The Dawgs were down 13-18 in the fourth quarter, but after two long touchdown passes from Bennett, Georgia took the lead 26-18 with 3:33 left. Kelee Ringo got a pick-six on Alabama’s next drive, and Bennett led Georgia to their first national championship in forty-two years. Not bad for a walk-on.

This year Bennett proved he is legit and has Georgia in the same spot they were in last year. After being a little shaky in the past Bennett proved he belongs. With 3,989 total yards and thirty-nine total touchdowns on a 67.9% completion percentage, he has vastly improved on last season. Bennett has 868 more yards, a 3.2% better completion percentage, and an extra touchdown. He’s even played himself into being a potential NFL draft pick.

But right now, he’s not worrying about the NFL. He’s worrying about beating upstart TCU, led by their own underdog and Heisman finalist Max Duggan. If he wins, Georgia would have their first repeat national championship and lead the first repeat champions since Alabama eleven years ago. Bennett has had a storybook football career. Can he close this chapter with another ring on his finger?

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