Stetson Bennett is the walking definition of a Heisman candidate

Georgia football starting quarterback Stetson Bennett is a star, but so many overlook him for too many silly reasons. However, the truth is Bennett should be a Heisman Trophy contender. Other reporters have said it, and we mentioned it earlier in the season, but after his performance against Tennessee, it’s finally time to really take this seriously.

His numbers are as good, if not better, than some of the Heisman frontrunners, so why doesn’t he get the same respect? It doesn’t make sense because he does all the things the others do but gets scrutinized on another level.

The Mailman is an efficient playmaker and knows how to make explosive things happen. He is the walking definition of what a Heisman Trophy winner should look like, but this award doesn’t always go to the guy that deserves it.

Georgia football starting quarterback Stetson Bennett is the player who should win the Heisman Trophy.

People would select him if you posted Bennett’s number anonymously against the other Heisman contenders. The only downfall is his touchdown numbers, but where in the Heisman Trophy description of the winner does it say the player who wins has to have the most points scored?

Before we run an experiment to prove a point, the Heisman Trophy goes to the most outstanding college football player. It is voted on by multiple people, including sports journalists, as “informed, competent, impartial observers…” There are a lot of levels to the voting, and the Heisman Trophy website goes into further detail.

That website says this trophy recognizes the player whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity. Winners will epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard work.

When you read that statement, one of the first players that come to mind is Bennett. Why? He is one of the hardest workers, has integrity, and his story of perseverance is one everyone knows at this point in his career. Of course, it says “great ability” combined with those traits, but Bennett has the tremendous physical ability, so why isn’t he a consideration?

So let’s experiment — here are four sets of stats, including Bennetts, to prove that whoever decides these Heisman contenders is overlooking him.

Player 1: 222-of-312 for 2,964 yards 26 touchdowns, 5 INT, 71.2% completion rate, 6.6 yards per attempt, averages 48.8 throws a game and 323.6 yards a game. 114 carries for 513 yards, four touchdowns and averages 4.5 yards a touch.

Player 2: 198-of-292 for 2,606 yards 11 touchdowns, 3 INT, 67.8% completion rate, 8.9 yards per attempt, averages 32.4 throws a game and 289.6 yards. 29 carries for 130 yards, six touchdowns and averages 4.5 yards a touch.

Player 3: 179-of-252 for 2,533 yards, 21 touchdowns, 2 INT, 71% completion rate, 10.1 yards per attempt, 28 passes a game and 281.4 yards. 91 carries for 355 yards, four touchdowns and averages 3.9 yards a touch.

Player 4: 169-of-249 for 2,453 yards, 29 touchdowns, 4 INT, 67.9% completion rate, 9.9 yards per attempt, 27.7 throws a game and 272.6 yards. 25 rushes, 75 yards and averages three yards a touch.

Georgia fans can pick out Bennett’s numbers quickly, but that first player isn’t who you think it is. These numbers include three of the top Heisman Trophy contenders, and in all honesty, they are all similar outside Player 1’s rushing numbers.

However, Bennett still gets overlooked. He hasn’t nine straight games of dominant play, but neither have the other three. The other three players included on this list are Ohio State’s CJ Stroud, Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker, and UNC’s Drake Maye.

What about Bennett’s game doesn’t match up to these three? Is it because he is a former walk-on that happens to be shorter? Why do his mistakes hold heavier than the ones made by the other quarterbacks on this list? Blake Corum, Michigan’s running back, has better numbers than these three quarterbacks and deserves a look, but the Heisman Trophy has also become a quarterback competition.

Also, don’t get us started on excluding the skill players and defensive players because there are guys that epitomize the Heisman Trophy requirements that aren’t on offense and that difference-makers. Do we even need to mention Brock Bowers in this article because he has his own Heisman campaign that gets overlooked too?

The Heisman Trophy has gotten away from who the award is for, and excluding Bennett proves that. He is a walking definition of a Heisman Trophy winner, but the odds for him to win are slim to none.

Stats are not always the most important thing, and yes, there are Heisman-defining moments, but those often get overlooked too. Bennett had three against Tennessee, some against Oregon too, and South Carolina — yet those common mistakes keep him out of that race. It’s time we change that mindset and give this trophy to the player that deserves it the most.

Also, Georgia’s offense is explosive without it all relying on Bennett’s shoulders. He gets the Dawgs into the red zone, and they utilize their rush attack to score, or he uses his wheels to score. Without that deep ball threat, Bennett has still found ways to lead one of the best offenses in the country.

There have been so many added requirements to the Heisman Trophy voting that it has gotten away from the core purpose of this award. Hooker, Stroud, and Maye have made mistakes, but they are superior athletes, while Bennett isn’t anything but a “good college quarterback” or a “game manager.” No, Bennett is a gunslinger who makes things happen while being a manager.

The voters could change that narrative by including Bennett as a Heisman Trophy finalist or even awarding him that trophy. It’s too bad that the trophy gets awarded before the end of the season because if Bennett led the Dawgs to back-to-back national championships, the Heisman Trophy folks would look silly not giving him the honor.