Stetson Bennett, Georgia seniors ready to be recognized Saturday

ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia seniors will celebrate their final home game at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, but Senior Day doesn’t necessarily mean what it used to. Sure, it’s still special for those for whom it’ll actually be their last game in Athens, but with the “COVID-year” of eligibility still out there, a couple Bulldogs may be celebrated twice. Some of the “seniors” have been in Athens for more than the traditional four years. Fifth and sixth year players are fairly common in College Football these days, and as a result, piecing together the senior class is like trying to do a jigsaw puzzle.

“These guys, just like the group last year, have been really special,” Smart said. “I mean, we can have anywhere from 20 to 25 guys walking out there and to look and see what they’ve done, to be the winningest class and go through a COVID year where every game was an SEC game. I just — you know, I find that respectful and amazing, because you don’t get the games outside the conference in that season. And they were still able to do it.”

“A lot of credit goes to the character of that group,” he continued. “There’s not a huge star-studded cast. There won’t be 15 draft picks out there, but there’s some guys that really care about UGA and have sacrificed a lot to this program.”

Over the last four years, Georgia has won 45 games including 14 in 2021 as a part of the National Championship season. Players have been a part of three SEC East winning teams as the Bulldogs will play for the SEC Championship against LSU on December 3rd. Despite winning a Sugar Bowl, a Peach Bowl, an Orange Bowl and a National Championship, Georgia has not taken home the SEC title since 2017 meaning that only sixth-year seniors have been a part of an SEC Championship Game victory. A win on Saturday makes them the winningest group in Georgia Football program history.

Stetson Bennett was among those that were able to celebrate an SEC Championship in 2017, and he was among the “seven or eight” players that Smart said walked last year. He’ll do so again this year; only this time, this is it for Bennett. A sixth-year senior out of Blackshear, Ga., Bennett has been a part of 58 wins in his time at Georgia. Beginning his career as a walk-on back in 2017 before transferring to Jones College (Miss.) and eventually coming back to Athens to ultimately earning the starting spot and winning a National Championship last season, Bennett’s career is one that feels like it could be the tale of a movie one day. He certainly hopes he’s not done writing the story just yet though.

“Yeah, it takes a competitor. I mean, it takes somebody to overcome the odds because you’re not given the benefit of the doubt. You know, you have to earn it. You have to beat guys out,” Smart said on Monday in speaking about Bennett before his Senior Day. “You know, we as coaches did everything we could to not give him the opportunity and he just kept banging away at the door. And he was very persistent. Thank goodness we decided to bring him back when we were sitting in a tough quarterback situation. And probably the best decision we made when you look back of bringing him back here in what it looked like as a backup role, but not to him. I mean, he saw it as an opportunity to come in and play and he took advantage of it.”

“I knew his high school coach, I knew who he played for. I knew the area he was from. I roomed with a kid — guy that was from down there and college here as a walk-on. And he always talked about Stetson. We kept in touch,” Smart added, sharing on the original recruitment of Bennett. “Stetson was getting recruited by other people. Chris Hatcher and several guys recruited him. We got him up on the official visit. I think the first time I really got to talk to him and visit with him was around the OV. And, he’s got, you know, a lot of siblings. A great family. And I remember the siblings being around during our camp days and working out and his OV in the stadium. You could tell there was something different about him in terms of a chip on his shoulder. And that’s helped drive him to where he is now.”

Bennett became just the fifth Bulldog to top 3,000 passing yards in a single season on Saturday. Aaron Murray did so in all four seasons (2010-13) he started at quarterback. Eric Zeier accomplished the feat twice (1993-94) while David Greene (2003) and Matthew Stafford (2008) each did so once.

Christopher Smith also knows that this will be his last time on the field at Sanford Stadium. The Atlanta, Ga. native has spoken several times about how playing for the Bulldogs has been a dream come true, and he reflected more on the opportunity this week.

“It has been a 10/10 experience,” Smith said. “I have built a lot of connections with coaches and players. I have learned a lot about myself as a man. I even grew into myself as a man when I was here. Everybody when they are 18 thinks they are a man, but you don’t really realize until about four or five years later that you are just beginning to become a man. That is a whole synopsis of my time and experience here.” 

Smith, a finalist for the Nagurski Award which goes to the nation’s top defensive player, hasn’t always been a star. Unlike some that come into Georgia, he didn’t play right away, seeing action in only five games during his freshman season. His sophomore year wasn’t much better, being a big part of the special teams plans, before blossoming his junior year after Richard LeCounte suffered a season-ending injury. It was then that Smith got his opportunity, and it’s only been better since.

“His toughness and leadership. He was always a competitor, a great kid, comes from a great family, great high school background, played corner, played everything we asked. If anything, he’s grown as a leader, he’s probably had some anger management moments where he’s gotten really upset out on the field and he’s matured so much,” Smart said. “I can still remember him trying to fight guys at practice because I made him run one day for other guys’ academic problems and he was ready to kill somebody. He’s just gotten so much more mature since being here and he’s such a great leader. So, thankful that he’s come back.”

Georgia kicker Jack Podlesny is in the boat of not knowing whether this will be his last time taking the field between the hedges. This week’s winner of the SEC Special Teams Player of the Week, Podlesny is in his fifth year at Georgia. He took a redshirt in 2018 before burning years of eligibility in 2019, 2021 and 2022. With the 2020 season not counting against eligibility, Podlesny still has one year left that he could play, but he’s got a decision to make at season’s end.

“Yet to be decided if it’ll be my last home game,” Podlesny said. “That’ll come at the end of the season, but I’m looking forward to having all the fans in Sanford Stadium packed out hopefully, and if it is the last time, getting to go out on top with all the Georgia fans surrounding me.”

“It is a luxury to have him,” Smart added. “He’s been Mr. Consistency since he’s been here. And he’s mentally wired the right way and does a tremendous job for our program. But, you know, the more we use him, the more we realize that those are points left on the board.”

Seniors will be recognized before the game on Saturday in an on-field presentation with family members present. A finalized list of who is and isn’t participating in the Senior Day ceremony has not yet been released. According to Georgia’s online roster, 29 players are in their fourth year or later out of high school, typically giving them the option to participate in Senior Day activities regardless of their eligibility status.

In 115 all-time meetings between these two teams, Georgia holds a 69-41-5 advantage including four straight since a loss in Kirby Smart’s first season on the job. The Bulldogs won 45-0 last year in Atlanta. This will be Georgia Tech’s first trip to Athens since 2018 with the 2020 game being cancelled due to COVID-19. Kickoff time is set for 12:00 p.m. ET on ESPN.