If anyone knows what it's like to be a walk-on and overcome the stigma of being labeled as one, it's former Bulldog cornerback Aaron Davis.

After redshirting in 2014, Davis went on to start 45 games, including all 15 contests during Georgia’s run to the National Championship game.

“For me, I always had the mindset I wanted to prove to everybody, and it started by proving to myself that I belong here, and I can do this,” Davis said. “When I see myself, who other people have low expectations for, I kind of take that as motivation—a challenge to say, this guy just doesn’t know what I do.”

In current Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett, Davis sees similar career parallels.

Like Davis, Bennett redshirted after walking on the Bulldog program, Davis in 2013 and Bennett in 2017. Unlike Davis, Bennett transferred to Jones County Junior College the following year before returning to Athens in 2019, this time as a scholarship signee.

However, fair or not, many still refer to Bennett as a “former two-star quarterback and walk-on.” It's still a label you see attached to the junior from Blackshear, despite the fact he heads into Saturday’s showdown against Alabama as Georgia’s starter for the third consecutive week.

Davis has no doubt that such a label is a driving force for Bennett.

“Players don’t admit to those kind of things. But from my perspective, everyone talks about how not to read the clippings, don’t look at the news—but the age we live in, it’s impossible to do that,” Davis said. “I think everyone should want to start, but to see yourself get overlooked, it’s motivational for you and I think being a former walk-on and people seeing that label... it really does motivate you. It keeps you on edge. Where other guys may think they deserve it, they may not have the same motivation as you.”

Davis said Bennett made quite the impression on him the one year they were teammates in 2017, when, as a freshman, Bennett held down the scout team duties for most of the year.

“I know personally that Stetson got me cussed out many times when he was the scout team quarterback,” Davis said. “There were a few times where I’d think, ‘Oh, the play is over, I’m good to go,’ and he’d launch like a 50-yard bomb over the top of my head, and all of a sudden I’m in trouble because I didn’t finish the play.”

Nevertheless, Bennett’s work went largely unnoticed, until former defensive coordinator Mel Tucker called him “a beast” for his efforts portraying former Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield during preparations for the Rose Bowl.

Davis said beat writers should not have been surprised.

“Every time we had to model a quarterback we were facing on Saturday, it was like, for us, a lot of the times the best quarterback we saw was Stetson throughout the week, compared to what we saw on Saturday,” Davis said. “It’s no surprise to me at all that he’s in this position now. If you'd have asked me if I predicted him to be the starting quarterback, I wouldn’t have said that, but I’m not surprised he is, because he has the intangibles and the talent to be able to get it done.”

Davis said fans should not discount the drive being a former walk-on has with players like Bennett.

Although he never felt like he wasn't a part of the team, and teammates treated him as well as they did any scholarship player—the knowledge that you’ve got to prove yourself to coaches just a little bit more is something that’s always in the back of a walk-on’s mind.

“You already know there are hurdles you’re going to have to jump. It’s like, okay, coaches went out, and they recruited these guys who are extremely talented, so I know these guys are going to have a leg up, because they may have, you know, a better relationship with the coaches than I have,” Davis said. “For me personally, I just knew there was going to be more hoops I was going to have to jump through in order to climb up the depth chart. So it’s like, where can I be of value right now. And as I show value, how can I show value at the position I really want to play?”

In Bennett, Davis can see why teammates have his back.

Like any good reporter, players know a good story when they see one.

“Guys really do love to see a teammate excel,” Davis said. “I do think that adds a little extra level of respect, and they say, ‘Hey, this guy used to be the scout team quarterback, and now he’s the starting quarterback, and look what he’s doing.”’