Georgia Football: The Return of Quarterback Stetson Bennett

Stetson Bennett is a legit quarterback

Bennett was the scout team quarterback for the Bulldogs in 2017 when they had to face eventual number one overall pick Baker Mayfield and the Oklahoma Sooners. It was Bennett’s job to emulate Mayfield so that the defense would be better prepared come game time.

After practicing as Mayfield, Georgia coaches and players had some promising things to say about him. According to 247sports.com writer Jake Rowe, former Bulldog, and third round pick, Lorenzo Carter “acknowledges that Bennett makes individual players look silly at times with his elusive style of play” and former Bulldog, and top ten pick, Roquan Smith said “That guy, Stetson Bennett, he’s phenomenal”. Mel Tucker, former Dawgs defensive coördinator, had plenty to say:

"“Stetson Bennett puts a lot of pressure on our defense because he is extremely quick, he’s fast and he can throw. He can throw in the pocket and he can throw on the run and he’s very, very competitive. He does a great job of getting us a look and it challenges our players so I’m glad we have him”."

Tucker really summed it up in just five words though, saying that “Stetson Bennett’s a beast, man”.

Upon hearing of Bennett’s return, many players were excited to see him back in the red and black. Linebacker Monty Rice said “I’m glad to have him back. Stetson is a good player… he always gave us fits last year”. Senior defensive lineman Jonathan Ledbetter said “I hated playing against him… he will make everything happen. I love him, I’m glad he’s coming back”.

Ledbetter even told redandblack.com assistant sports editor Michael Herbert that “Bennett once went 17-for-18 on the starting defense, something he said he’s never seen happen before”. Stetson Bennett returning to Georgia is clearly a good thing, and by the rave reviews given by coaches and players, I think it’s safe to say Bennett’s a legit quarterback.

In his one year of junior college football Bennett played ok, but not great. However, the level of talent around him there will not even compare to who he will be playing with at Georgia. In his one year, Bennett threw for 1,840 yards, 16 touchdowns, fourteen interceptions, ran for 148 yards, and ran for four touchdowns.

Don’t let these underwhelming stats fool you though. Stetson Bennett was a great quarterback for the Bulldogs and I expect he will be great for them again this year.