Stetson Bennett makes decision following National Championship

Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett arrived in Athens without any fanfare, walking on, then leaving for a junior college before returning to campus once more. The undersized, unheralded man known as “The Mail Man” for his ability to deliver became a Georgia Bulldogs legend this season by winning the school’s first national championship since 1980.

Despite some unsure comments the morning after, as Stetson Bennett spoke with the Good Morning America crew about whether he was staying or leaving, the Georgia hero plans to return for another season, according to an Instagram post. While his teammate and competitor JT Daniels entered the transfer portal, Georgia fans know that at least one starting quarterback plans to return for the 2022 season.

The Bulldogs will look to run through college football’s elite once more and join an elite group which has won back-to-back titles. However, the cast of characters around Bennett/Daniels promises to look a bit different. With running back Zamir White, wide receiver George Pickens and left tackle Jamaree Salyer already announcing their intentions to enter the 2022 NFL Draft, more young players must step into the spotlight as they did this season.

The defense also gets a new look as several key defensive starters declare for the draft, but a leadership core of Smiths appears set to return with safeties Tykee and Christopher Smith and the possibility of linebacker Nolan Smith, unless he opts for the NFL as well.

Stetson Bennett reflects on collegiate path

Stetson Bennett‘s career with the Georgia Bulldogs has been anything but a smooth ride. He began his career in Athens as a walk-on in 2017 and later opted to transfer out of the program the next season. But in 2019, Bennett found his way back to Georgia. From that day on, Bennett has had one goal on his mind: To win a national championship.

The national title game was reflective of Bennett’s career with Georgia. Georgia failed to score a touchdown in the first half, trailing 9-6 at the break. Late in the game, Bennett lost a fumble that eventually led to an Alabama touchdown, giving the Crimson Tide a lead. But Bennett wasn’t done yet, and he led Georgia down the field, scoring the go-ahead touchdown to take a 19-18 lead.

Bennett didn’t let his turnover stop him from achieving his ultimate goal. He said that he wasn’t going to be the reason Georgia lost. And he wasn’t, and they didn’t.

“We all feel the weight of the state of Georgia on our shoulders,” Bennett said after winning the championship. “But when you look back in February, January, March, April, May, when people are focusing on basketball or baseball and we’re running in the stadium at 6.00 a.m. And it sucks, and you’re kind of, like, why do we do this?

“And the reason is for when I fumble on the 10-yard line and we give up a touchdown and we go back and we score two straight drives, that’s the reason. The toughness, the resiliency, the connection, all that stuff, you know, you kind of wonder why.”