Respect is not given. It is earned.

In the case of Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett, this is certainly true.

At a tick under 6-foot and listed at 190 pounds on the official roster, Bennett has found himself in prove-it mode basically his entire football career.

That has certainly been the case since coming off the bench in the opener against Arkansas, but so far, the Blackshear native-fondly known as “The Mailman” continues to deliver.

Which brings us back to the question of respect.

When asked what about Bennett makes teammates want to play for him, left tackle Jamaree Salyer said the answer is simple.

Confidence.

“Stetson is confident about himself. He is a competitor. He goes out there and gives it everything he has got every day. He doesn’t like to lose,” Salyer said. “He has fun competing. And me, being able to protect a guy like that, listen to a guy like that and look up to a guy like that, there’s nothing more you can ask from a quarterback.”

So far, Bennett's confidence has taken the Bulldogs to a 3-0 record.

Although it is probably unfair to strictly label him as a “game manager,” the fact Bennett has Georgia’s offense averaging 36 points per game after averaging 30.8 all of last year, speaks highly of the job he has done.

“We like Stetson because he’s going to compete and give it everything he’s got–everything,” Salyer said. “He’s not going to fold on you when it gets tough. That’s what I love about Stetson.”

Bulldog head coach Kirby Smart said Bennett is a natural when it comes to garnering his teammates’ respect.

“I honestly think he’s just himself. He does not try to be someone else. He doesn’t try to artificially lead or fake it,” Smart said. “He never did that while he was trying to compete for the job, and he hasn’t done it since he got the job. Stetson is who he is, and I think the skill players on offense, the offensive line, they all trust him and rally around him because they know he understands what we’re trying to do offensively and he can put them in good situations.

“The defensive players have all seen him play and see what Stetson’s about, so he does it his own way, which is doing very little in terms of trying to vocally lead. He leads by example and he encourages guys and helps guys a lot.”

Color Alabama coach Nick Saban impressed.

To some, the thought of a former two-star quarterback leading Georgia to what would be one of its biggest regular-season wins in recent memory might still seem far-fetched.

The way Saban sees it, Bennett’s has done exactly what he is supposed to do

“He played within himself. He’s good with play-action passes and that offense is well-balanced,” Saban said. “He has really just facilitated everything that he’s needed to do from his position to help all the other good players (Georgia has) to make plays. I think (Bennett) has done an outstanding job.”

Which brings us back to Salyer.

The junior scoffed at the notion that Bennett’s stature makes him any sort of liability when it comes to pass protection, noting that the junior can “take a hit" and adding, “I’ve seen Stet get hit and bounce up like any receiver or running back. If you are asking me about a question of heart, Stetson has got one of the biggest ones around."