WATCH: Kirby Smart assesses play of Stetson Bennett this spring

Stetson Bennett may have led the Georgia Bulldogs to a national championship but expectations are still high for the quarterback for the upcoming season. Head coach Kirby Smart still wants to see a few improvements as spring practice rolls along before defending their crown in the fall.

Smart went on The Paul Finebaum Show on Friday and assessed where Bennett is right now. He talked about where the quarterback has shown signs of improvement in the passing game. After listing out some of the positives Bennett provided in 2021, Smart is looking for some safer decisions.

“Well the expectations are high for me because there’s no more forcing the ball into bad areas, making poor decisions, lack of ball security, not changing the proper play,” Smart said. “With the extra time and the experience, he’s really bought into studying that part of the game. He’s always had talent to make a play with his legs and he made some really critical plays. He got us out of trouble against Michigan. He made an incredible run against Tennessee for a touchdown.

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“He’s done some really good things but the biggest thing now is the decision-making with the ball and not putting us in tough situations,” Smart said on Bennett. “I’ve really been pleased. We’ve had an extremely windy spring. He’s gone out and pierced the wind with some big time throws and made some explosive plays for us.”

Kirby Smart says he's seeing a different Stetson Bennett in camp this spring: pic.twitter.com/uJEzKxnaDe

— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) April 15, 2022

Through all of the outside noise to go with someone else, Smart decided to stick to his guns and go with Stetson Bennett all last season. Now, he becomes a rare starting quarterback who will return after winning a national championship.

Even so, Smart is always going to want to raise the bar and set high expectations for his players. Bennett is no different, even if the resume has shown he’s done it before.