For Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett, his return to the Bulldog football program after a brief hiatus completed a rather eventful journey. The Blackshear, Ga., native attended Georgia as a preferred walk-on in 2017, serving as the team’s scout team quarterback, before attending a junior college last year, followed by verbally committing to another FBS program.
“I was basically going to sign with Louisiana (University of Louisiana at Lafayette) before Georgia came in,” Bennett said regarding events leading up to last December’s early signing period. “They (Georgia) had been talking to me leading up to it, that maybe some stuff was happening (Bennett perhaps being offered a scholarship by the Bulldogs). They came in, offered me, and then I committed to Georgia.”
Still, Bennett’s decision to return to Georgia—and on scholarship—wasn’t as easy to make as one might imagine.
“No, no, no—that’s a pretty big decision,” Bennett said, rejecting the idea he immediately jumped at signing with Georgia after contacted by Bulldog coaches. “I had to talk with my parents; talk with both [head] coaches (Georgia’s Kirby Smart and Louisiana’s Billy Napier). Then, I decided later in the day [to sign with Georgia].”
After starring for Pierce County High School, where he was named to the 3-A second-team All-State football squad as a senior, Bennett distinguished himself during Georgia’s 2017 season when he emulated Oklahoma’s Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, Baker Mayfield, as the Bulldogs’ No. 1 defense prepared to face the Sooners in the Rose Bowl.
However, regardless of how he performed in practice, Bennett admits that perhaps he didn’t approach his initial tenure at Georgia as he should have.
“I really didn’t go about my business when I was first here—wasn’t working hard every day, didn’t learn the playbook enough,” Bennett said. “I thought I was good enough to play here talent-wise. I just didn’t do enough myself to be as good as I could be.”
To receive more playing time, Bennett transferred out of Georgia to Jones County (Miss.) Junior College, where he led the Bobcats to a 10-2 record last year and a spot in the MACJC conference championship game.
“When I was running the team (Jones County J.C.) over there—being “the guy”—I realized how lucky I was to be [at Georgia] in the first place,” Bennett said. “I mean, junior college isn’t as nice as this. There are great people, great coaches, and great football [at the junior-college level], but it’s just not the same. Being away made me realize how lucky I had been, and that I deserved nothing—nothing was going to be handed to me. So, I got to work at being a better player and a better person.”
Although seemingly Georgia’s current No. 2 quarterback behind standout Jake Fromm, Bennett now realizes he still has some work to do this spring if he is to become an even better player.
“My biggest thing is to learn the offense in and out,” said Bennett, a redshirt sophomore. “And, I need to often get with Jake [Fromm]. He’s been here, and he knows everything in and out.”
And to think Bennett’s journey back to Georgia wouldn't have occurred if not for the Bulldogs making a last-minute scholarship offer, allowing for the reserve quarterback to return “home.”
“Being on scholarship [at Georgia] is a big thing. I’ve always realized that,” Bennett said. “And [Georgia] is home—that was a big thing, too, as to why I decided to come back.”
