Stetson Bennett’s path to stardom wasn’t as clear cut as most, yet somehow becoming Georgia’s savior through doubt and hellfire
Los Angeles, CA– On January 10th, 2022, most of the nation witnessed a slaughter on national television. A 65-7 dismantling of the TCU Horned Frogs by Georgia put an exclamation mark to an already historic season by Bulldogs’ QB Stetson Bennett. Bennett went from unknown to taking the college football world by storm in a matter of months, and now, he has led the Georgia Bulldogs to back-to-back national titles… a feat that will forever be in the back of every walk-on’s minds.
If you asked a magic 8-ball three years ago who the starting quarterback for the SEC powerhouse Georgia Bulldogs would be, Stetson Bennett probably wouldn’t even register. Not even fate could have predicted a feel-good Cinderella story like Bennett’s. It has personified every overlooked kid’s dream, this has been the story of the underdog leading the wolves.
Bennett’s story starts like any other kid, playing high school football in Blackshear, Georgia, playing quarterback for the Pierce County Bears. Bennett was glossed over, just a drop in the recruiting bucket coming out of high school.
In fact, his only FBS offer came from lowly Middle Tennessee State as a two-star recruit. Coaches thought he was too small and undersized, standing at a relatively short stature at 5’9″ 185 lbs. He took the road less travelled, instead, opting to walk on at the University of Georgia.
Walking on is a tall task, even if you hit a late growth spurt bringing your ruler measurement up to 5’11”. For the first year in Athens, Bennett was forced to take the back seat, and instead of taking helm of the offense, he took charge of the scout team.
“They would get so pissed at him because he would torch the defense, but he wouldn’t just do what the card said as the progression. If he saw someone open, he’d just throw it to the open dude,” said Bennett’s high school football coach Sean Pender.
Bennett’s play on scout made the defense throw fits, “He went like 20-for-20 on us in a practice,” Georgia defensive lineman Malik Herring said, “so we knew always knew he was a great quarterback.”
Except it wasn’t enough for any playing time. Bennett understood the situation got even more dire when 5-star quarterback Justin Fields announced his commitment to Georgia. Not wanting to get buried even further in the depth chart, Bennett once again took the road less travelled, transferring to Jones County Junior College where he went on a tear. The quarterback played in 12 games and threw for 16 touchdowns and 1,840 yards, adding a star to his portfolio.
Now, as a 3-star recruit back in the transfer portal after spending one season at JUCO, the prospect had upped his resume. As Bennett was about to sign to join the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns, a familiar face had grown smitten with Bennett’s play– Kirby Smart.
Smart offered him a scholarship to be the backup quarterback after Fields’ departure to Ohio State by way of the same transfer portal Bennett had seemed tangled with just seasons ago. The quarterback, despite all his trials and tribulations was once again stuck behind a blue chip recruit in Jake Fromm.
“You start to get pissed off. Like, why do I still suck?,” Bennett said in an interview earlier this year to the Wall Street Journal.
When originally leaving Athens, Bennett said he genuinely thought he’d never return. Yet, fate somehow seems to find its way into crazy scenarios.
Back in the red and black, Bennett understood he had a long way to go ahead of him. Backing up Jake Fromm, he saw limited game action, ultimately finishing the year with a forgettable two touchdowns and one interception. What’s not forgettable however, was Bennett’s play in the 2019 SEC Championship Game, where Fromm went down with an injury, paving the way for the world to get their first glimpse at who would become the quarterback to take the Bulldogs to the next level.
During his time relegated to an understudy, Bennett took the time to find himself as a quarterback. It’s not that he was bad, instead he was too good, finding himself overcomplicating the game at times, “When you see the defense, it’s, ‘How do I beat that based on what we have called this play?’ But it’s that play, not, ‘What do I wish we had called?’” Bennett said. “I think I got caught doing that a lot, because I’d see space and be like, ‘turn, turn, turn!’ But [the receiver’s] got an out-route and he didn’t have an in-route.”
Bennett admitted later he calmed himself down while watching a YouTube video of Brett Favre not knowing what “dime coverage” meant. As The Wall Street Journal said, “. He realized that good quarterbacks weren’t good because they knew all the lingo; they were good because they made the right plays.”
This is the part of the story where the hero goes in and wins the starting job right away, with a feel good ending that makes the audience cry.
Except, a rejuvenated Bennett found himself in the same mix that he was in not even 2 seasons ago. New last names filled the QB room, Jamie Newman, JT Daniels and D’Wan Mathis were all listed ahead of Bennett on the depth chart, and going head to head with freshman Carson Beck didn’t help Bennett’s cause.
Instead of seeing the writing on the wall and running the first time, Stetson Bennett stuck it out, persevered and hung on– a trait that would personify the quarterback throughout his career.
Then, the chips started to fall into place: A Jamie Newman opt-out during the 2020 COVID season, a Daniels’ injury, and Mathis’ abysmal play gave way to a Stetson Bennett who was more than ready to fire on all cylinders.
If you couldn’t already tell, Bennett plays with a chip on his shoulder. A big one. Just one caveat, he doesn’t speak of it, instead he shows it.
During Georgia’s 65-7 rout of TCU, Stetson Bennett went 18-for-25 passing for 304 yards and accounted for 6 touchdowns, 4 through the air and 2 on the ground. From a kid that didn’t have the world watching him come out of high school or received invites to every major all-star game, he sure as hell plays like it.
But, that fire was evident well before he even stepped foot on Georgia’s campus the first time. Bennett broke necks and took names in high school offseasons where he would wear a US Postal Service hat while impressing scouts at recruiting camps across the South.
“My buddy’s father is the mayor of a small town around here, and he’s always getting cool things,” Bennett told Bleacher Report back in 2016. “I saw the hat one day and asked if I could wear it. I first wore it to a camp in Valdosta [Georgia]. I’m not real big or striking physically, but I wanted to have something people would remember me by.”
Bennett understood the cards he was dealt and perhaps not realizing it, he ran with it. While scouts from FBS schools didn’t necessarily recognize it, it was enough to be remembered for his iconic headpiece which travelled like wildfire throughout the camp circuit. It earned him the nickname “The Mailman”, which Bennett embraced.
He became the SEC’s most popular mailman by way of his first start, a 27-6 victory over Auburn in 2020. From then, the kid from Blackshear never seemed to look back, steamrolling SEC competition and winning the national championship two times in a row. Georgia made easy work of nearly every opponent they came across.
It didn’t matter if it was No. 15 Oregon, No. 2 Alabama in the 2021 National Championship, or 6th ranked Tennessee, Bennett astounded in every single one of those games. With a supporting cast like no other, Bennett was able to play to his full potential which head coach Kirby Smart raved about, “He didn’t get a lot of opportunities, and to be honest with you, he didn’t cry, pout, leave, transfer, do anything, have his parents call. He didn’t do any of that. He just kept working and working and working and then when he got an opportunity, he took advantage of it.”
Bennett has epitomized the underdog story to a tee. But, his path doesn’t end here, declaring for the draft and his NFL journey will be next… and soon, the world will know of The Mailman.
