By Bayler Ruth

According to The University of Georgia Football Team, Stetson Bennett was born on October 28, 1997, and is only 5’11” and 190 lbs. Bennett attended Pierce County High School in Blackshear, Georgia throughout high school, where he played football every season. Bennett was a walk-on to the University of Georgia football team in 2017, so he had to try out for the team and was not recruited to play. Walk-ons rarely get the chance to play in actual games. However, Bennett has now earned his place on the field. He was nicknamed “The Mailman” because he wore a hat from the US Postal Service to his training camps. At Georgia, he was behind starter quarterback Jake Fromm and five-star recruit Justin Fields. With two stars ahead of him in the roster, Bennett left Athens and went to play quarterback for Jones County Junior College in Ellisville, Mississippi. While at Jones College, Bennett threw for 1,860 yards and 16 touchdowns. 

Holding the trophy after back-to-back national championship wins. Photo credit: Mark J. Rebilas/USA Today Sports.

After Bennett’s year at Jones and the transfer of Fields to Ohio State University, Georgia Football gave Bennett another chance to be a part of the team. Bennett signed the contract to join the Georgia team and started training with them for the 2019 season. Bennett’s goal was to start for the Bulldogs. He knew he could have started for a smaller school, but his lifetime goal was to be a Bulldog. 

While on the team for Georgia, Bennett was the third-string quarterback in the 2020 season behind starters Jonathan Tyler (JT) Daniels and Jamie Newman. Newman dropped out and stopped playing football due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving Bennett as the backup. Also, in the 2021 season, Daniels faced a severe ACL injury in the season opener against Clemson. Due to the injury, Bennett was announced as the starting quarterback for the Bulldogs against the University of Alabama Birmingham on September 11, 2021, where he tied the Georgia record for most touchdowns thrown in a game, with five. 

Bennnett holding the championship trophy. Photo credit: Darron Cummings.

After this performance, he started every game for the rest of the 2021 season, leading the team to a 12-0 record in the regular season. Bennett faced criticism after losing on December 4, 2021 in the SEC championship to Alabama (41-24). People questioned whether former quarterback Daniels should start in the upcoming Orange Bowl against Michigan. However, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart believed in his quarterback and allowed Bennett to start, and they beat Michigan (34-11), advancing Georgia to the CFB championship on Jan. 10, 2022.

The next challenge Bennett faced was playing the University of Alabama again. After losing to Alabama in the SEC title game, the Georgia team was more determined than ever. During this game, Bennett threw two touchdowns and zero interceptions. Georgia defeated Alabama (33-18), giving the Dawgs their first national championship since 1980. Bennett became the first-ever walk-on quarterback to win a national championship. 

Celebrating after beating TCU in the 2022 CFP championship. Photo credit: Mark J. Rebilas/USA Today Sports.

After Bennett’s historic season, he returned to Georgia to play for the Dawgs in the 2022 season. Coming into the season, he was already considered a Heisman Trophy candidate and deemed one of the best college football players coming into that season. The Georgia team was ranked number 1 in the AP poll after destroying Oregon (49-3) in their opening game on September 3 that year. Once again, Bennett led the Bulldogs to an undefeated(13-0) regular season and topped it off with an SEC title, defeating LSU (50-30). After this game, Bennett was nominated for the Heisman. On December 31, 2022, Bennett was ready to take on the #4 seed Ohio State, and the game came down to a missed field goal by the Buckeyes. This led to a Georgia victory (42-41). The Bulldogs advanced to the CFB championship for the second time in Bennett’s career to face the TCU Horned Frogs. 

The four 2022 Heisman candidates before the ceremony. Photo credit: Todd Van Emst.

A week later, on January 9, 2023, Bennett and the Bulldogs defeated TCU (65-7), and Georgia won back-to-back national championships. After the game, Bennett was named Most Valuable Player for throwing six touchdown passes. Not only did Georgia win the national championship, but they finished with a perfect season (15-0). 

Bennett went from being a walk-on player at Georgia to becoming one of the best quarterbacks ever to play in Athens. His love for the sport and effort on and off the field made him a two-time national champion. After two historical seasons, he decided to go to the NFL draft in early 2023. Bennett was taken in the 4th round and was the 128th overall pick on April 29, 2023. He is now playing in the NFL with the Los Angeles Rams and is once again a third-string quarterback behind former Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford.