Getty Image / Michael Hickey
Stetson Bennett is one of the great underdog stories in recent college football history. Arguably, no national championship-winning quarterback has come from nowhere like Stetson Bennett did.
Bennett started his college career as a walk-on for the Georgia Bulldogs all the way back in 2017. He ended up transferring down to Junior College Jones College and ended up back at Georgia. After sitting behind Jake Fromm, Bennett started to get real playing time in the 2020 season, when he threw 8 touchdowns and 6 interceptions.
But, the real story started in 2021. Stetson Bennett was beat out by USC transfer JT Daniels to start the year. But, Daniels was hurt in week 2 and Bennett never looked back. He led Georgia to a 14-1 record and their first national title since 1980. He was even better in 2022. Georgia went 15-0 with another national title, and Bennett was invited to the Heisman ceremony, where he finished fourth.
Stetson Bennett was an interesting NFL Draft prospect. He showed better-than-expected arm strength with good accuracy and great mobility at Georgia. But, He’s only 5-foot-11 and is already 25 years old. Plus, rumors of character issues came up during the draft process.
The Los Angeles Rams didn’t seem to care, as they selected him in the fourth round of the NFL Draft.
With the No. 128 overall pick in the 2023 @NFLDraft, the @RamsNFL select Stetson Bennett!
📺: 2023 #NFLDraft on NFLN/ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/D3EqkrKLy4 pic.twitter.com/AMHhRA8WR5— NFL (@NFL) April 29, 2023
The Rams are in rebuilding mode just two years after winning the Super Bowl. Matthew Stafford is the incumbent starter. But, he’s pretty injury-prone. And, Bennett will get to work with quarterback guru Sean McVay as his head coach.
That’s a prospect Stetson Bennett seems pretty excited about. Here’s Pro Football Talk with more details.
“Excited to work with Coach McVay. I don’t know much, but I hear he’s a genius,” Bennett said. “And excited to work with Matt and all the other quarterbacks in the room.”
Bennett said after meeting with the Rams in a pre-draft interview, his takeaway was “that they’re real smart and I’ve got a lot to learn.” He said that in watching the Rams’ offense, he thought “they make it look easy, but I know it’s not.”
Stetson Bennett is right. The 37-year-old is a genius. Is he smart enough to turn Stetson Bennett into a franchise quarterback? Only time will tell.