Getty Image
- Stetson Bennett’s rise from walk-on to national champion is remarkable.
- His story is so great that Georgia head coach Kirby Smart thinks he is better than the most famous walk-on of all-time.
- Click HERE for more college football coverage!
Over the course of the last six months, Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett has been at the forefront of a meteoric rise to the top of college football. His story is so impressive that Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart thinks it is the greatest walk-on story of all-time.
Bennett, a two-star recruit out of high school, received only one FBS offer from Middle Tennessee State. In turn, he walked on to the program in Athens.
As a freshman in 2017, Bennett did not take a single snap and spent his season on the scout team as a redshirt. After his first year on the collegiate level, the 5-foot-11, 190-pound underdog transferred to Jones County Junior College and tore it up.
In turn, when Georgia needed a backup quarterback, they re-offered Bennett a chance to return to the program on scholarship. He accepted and served as the backup in 2018, 2019 and 2020.
That was set to be the case again in 2021. However, after J.T. Daniels got injured in Week 1, Bennett stepped in and took over the starting job for the remainder of the season.
Despite an ongoing debate about whether Daniels should return to the QB1 role even if he wasn’t fully healthy, Bennett continued to win. In the end, he got the last laugh.
Bennett and the Bulldogs beat Alabama to win the College Football Playoff National Championship.
At that point, the underdog story was complete and now Bennett will never pay for another meal in Athens again. He got his ring and Smart has high praise for the man who helped bring the natty back to Georgia.
During a recent appearance on Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski’s radio show, Smart told Bennett’s story. Coach K was shocked and compared him to Rudy, the famous Notre Dame walk-on who had his story turned into a movie.
“He was a walk-on?,” Krzyzewski said. “Like, come on, man. Is that Rudy or what the heck? How the hell did this happen?”
Smart proceeded to raise the bar.
“Well, he was a little bit better than Rudy, I’ll say that,” the Georgia head coach said. “He was a recruited walk-on, no offense to Rudy. I’ve watched that movie several times.”
His praise for Bennett, who is returning in 2022, was immense.
“I’m so proud of what he’s been through, for a young man that was a 3 (third-teamer) coming out of spring, a 3 going into fall camp, a 3 coming out of fall camp,” Smart said. “What does it say about his character that he stuck around and he kept working to get better? That’s what you’re supposed to do in life, overcome hurdles and obstacles and he’s done that.”
Will Bennett’s life become a movie down the road? It certainly seems like a Hollywood script.