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Cerritos College • Norwalk, Calif.

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Cerritos College • Norwalk, Calif.

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Stetson Bennett’s improbable journey isn’t over yet

Stetson+Bennett+relishes+the+moment+as+the+confetti+flies%2C+winning+the+College+Football+Playoff+Championship+game+on+Monday%2C+Jan.+10%2C+2022%2C+in+Indianapolis.+Photo+credit%3A+Curtis+Compton%2FThe+Atlanta+Journal-Constitution%2FTNS
Stetson Bennett relishes the moment as the confetti flies, winning the College Football Playoff Championship game on Monday, Jan. 10, 2022, in Indianapolis. Photo credit: Curtis Compton/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/TNS

Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Stetson Bennett has just announced that he is returning for his sixth year instead of declaring for the draft.

Bennett is just coming off winning offensive MVP in the Bulldogs 33-18 win over the Alabama Crimson Tide in the National Championship.

Bennett finished with 224 passing yards and two touchdowns to bring Georgia their first championship title since 1980.

The Georgia quarterback is looking to up his draft stock in his sixth year and possibly compete for another Georgia championship.

Bennett has had one of the most unlikely roads to his success. All odds were against him in his journey to winning the starting quarterback job at Georgia.

Listed at 5’11 and only a two-star prospect out of high school, Bennett did not attract much interest from colleges.

His best offers out of high school were from Middle Tennessee State and Georgia State.

Instead of settling for one of these offers, Bennett decided to bet on himself and walk-on at Georgia.

Bennett served as the scout team quarterback before leaving Georgia and choosing the junior college route.

The former two-star attended Jones Junior College in Mississippi where he led his team to a 10-2 record. Bennett earned a full-ride scholarship back and returned to the University of Georgia.

Finally, on scholarship to his hometown and dream school, Bennett’s obstacles did not end there.

Bennett worked his way up in the depth chart and earned the backup job behind former five-star University of Southern California transfer J.T. Daniels.

Playing time looked doubtful for Bennett until Daniels went down in week two against UAB. Daniels suffered from an oblique and a lat muscle injury.

Bennett was awarded the starting job and has yet to lose it since.

Bennett finished the 2021 season with 2,862 passing yards and 29 touchdowns. He completed 65 percent of his passing attempts and finished with a 177 quarterback rating.

The Bulldogs finished 13-1 with Bennett under center for Georgia.

A lot of speculation surrounded Bennett after Georgia’s only loss in the SEC Championship to Alabama. Although Bennett finished with 340 passing yards and three touchdowns he also threw 2 interceptions and finished 29-48.

Bennett proved the doubters wrong by leading Georgia past Michigan in the College football playoffs and then in the National Championship.

The improbable story of Stetson Bennet is not over yet. The announcement of his sixth year at Georgia impacted the college football world in a big way.

J.T. Daniels has entered the transfer portal due to his return. This will be Daniels’ second time transferring in his young college career.

Georgia is also looking to return to the college football playoffs and maybe even repeat as champions.

Bennett is an early dark horse candidate for Heisman and can hopefully boost his draft stock.

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About the Contributor
Silas Bravo
Silas Bravo, Arts & Entertainment Editor
Silas Bravo is the Arts & Entertainment Editor for Talon Marks. This is Silas’ third semester at Talon Marks. Silas plays football for the Cerritos Falcons and hopes to transfer to a University on an athletic scholarship. Silas loves everything sports and spending time with friends and family.
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Stetson Bennett’s improbable journey isn’t over yet