As the quarterback for the defending national champions, quarterback Stetson Bennett has received some unusual requests.

None stranger, however, than one he received on Twitter when someone sent him a DM asking about purchasing a live armadillo. Yes, a live armadillo.

“So, somebody DMed me a picture of a three-stripe armadillo on Instagram and was like, ‘Should I purchase this?’ He was like, ‘You’ve made good decisions in the past, I wanted to see if you wanted me to purchase this,’” Bennett laughed. “I was like, I don’t know anything about this. I usually don’t respond to DMs, but I was like, I’ve got to respond to this one. He was like, ‘Yeah man, it costs like $10,000,’ all this stuff. I was like, jeez, that’s a lot of money.”

The online conversation continued.

“He was like yeah, and I was like, ‘How long does it live for?’ He was like, ‘I mean, in captivity, it’s like 20 to 30 years,’” Bennett said. “I was like, ‘Dude, I don’t know how much money you’ve got, but I want you to buy it just for me. Then we kind of carried on, he asked me about a sloth and other things.”

• It turns out Bennett and the Bulldogs were a question on the gameshow Jeopardy.

The initial answer was, “In 2022, quarterback Stetson Bennett led this school to the national title over SEC rival Alabama, 33-18.” “I got a text earlier. I said, I hope they got it right,” Bennett said. “That’s kind of helping them a little bit. I hope they weren’t like, ‘Who’s the quarterback?’ Nobody would have got that.”

Bennett also came clean about the “33-18” joke he said was doing some NIL work for a local chicken restaurant, Cane’s.

“Yeah, I was instructed on that one,” Bennett said.

• Wide receiver Dominick Blaylock is back practicing with the team without any limitations, head coach Kirby Smart said after practice on Tuesday.

Blaylock has missed the past two-plus seasons recovering from a pair of ACL injuries.

“The offseason program was good for him as far as getting confidence and change of direction,” Smart said. “He’d be the first to tell you he’s still rusty, but he’s so confident with the ball in his hands. He catches the ball well, he’s smart, he’s a very savvy route runner in the slot.”

Smart said Blaylock has been back catching punts as well.

“He’s a veteran with experience. Really, at wide receiver, anybody with experience is a veteran,” Smart said. “Dom never complains; he just works. He’s dealt with some really tough resiliency, but he has overcome it and I’m really proud of him.”

• Warren McClendon said he’s been spending time away from the field working with Amarius Mims, who Tuesday was seen working as the No. 2 right tackle. “He’s been doing great,” McClendon said.

• Smart had positive words for sophomore linebacker Trezman Marshall (knee). He said he’s been impressed with the former Clinch County star pushing through injuries to try and get reps. Smart also credited early enrollees Jalon Walker and C.J. Washington pushing through injuries of their own.

• Smart said Kamari Lassiter, Nyland Green, and early enrollee Daylen Everette are currently getting most of the first- and second-team reps at cornerback opposite Kelee Ringo.

“In seven years here, at receiver and DB, we have never been this thin at these positions— ever,” Smart said. “You can point a finger and blame anywhere you want, but it’s the life of college football coaches. You don’t have enough depth anywhere.”

• Smart said he’d like to get more out of junior defensive tackle Jalen Carter.

“He’s trying to set an example for others. He’s certainly talented. We have to push him to be willing to give great effort in practice,” Smart said. “That’s what set Devonte Wyatt apart. He played himself into a really good player. He was not that player when he got here. He lost, weight, got stronger—he was not the player in years one, two, and three that he was four and five.

"It’s the same thing with Jalen. He’s certainly a talented player as a freshman and sophomore, but we’d like to get more out of him.”

• Smart said he’s been impressed with what he’s seen from new secondary coach Fran Brown.

“I think he is very charismatic. You have to really spend time with Fran to get to know Fran. Fran has done a tremendous job at establishing relationships,” Smart said. “It was very evident when you talk to people that have worked on a staff with him about his charisma. I was very pleased with how hard he works, his relationships with the players, and he is relentless on the road recruiting. I mean the guy communicates so well and pushes so hard, I think he's going to be a really good coach.

“I think he is a rising star in this profession because of the energy he puts into it. He is very coachable. He does what you ask of him, and he doesn’t know he asks, that is important. It is just as important to ask when you don’t know as it is to know. He has been really good thus far in that area.”

• Smart on replacing Travon Walker with early enrollee Mykell Williams.

“It’s too early to tell. You put so much expectation on these guys. I’m just trying to get Mykel to know what a six technique is, and a nine technique is, just like I did with Travon when he first got here. So he doesn’t have to be Travon Walker. That's not what he has to do,” Smart said. “We’re not going to replace Travon Walker; we don’t have another Travon Walker. Those guys are once-in-a-lifetime players when they’re that size and that speed. So, we’re going to coach the guys we have, and we’re going to teach them to play really hard and really physical. Not have the expectation to be compared to someone else, because I don’t like those comparisons.”