Nolan Smith says Georgia players joked with Stetson Bennett about age

Stetson Bennett was the butt of several jokes around the country for his age while playing college football at Georgia. Bennett was 25 for much of this past season as he led the Bulldogs to their second straight national title.

As it turns out, Bennett also got some grief from his former Georgia teammates.

Eagles linebacker Nolan Smith recently appeared on the Green Light with Chris Long podcast and was asked if Georgia players gave Bennett a hard time while he was in Athens. Smith admitted that they did from time to time.

As Long was in the middle of asking the question, before he could finish the sentence, Smith interrupted and replied “old as shit,” while busting out laughing. He then elaborated on what it was like being teammates with Bennett.

“We busted his balls a little bit but not much,” Smith said. “They loved him [in Athens] and he did well for himself. He was a great teammate and he hung out with all of us. He’s probably one of those guys that if you need somebody to change a tire or something you’re calling [him]. Somebody like me or him.”

Stetson Bennett walked on at Georgia, before eventually leading the Bulldogs to the 2021 and 2022 national titles. He was drafted by Rams in the fourth round of this past year’s draft.

Smith, who was also a part of two national title teams at Georgia, was drafted late in the first round of this year’s draft, going No. 30 overall.

Kirk Herbstreit says Georgia must reload roster, maintain edge

Georgia lost a lot of talent off of last year’s roster, including Stetson Bennett and Nolan Smith.

ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit says the Bulldogs need to reload.

Herbstreit, who joined On3’s J.D. PicKell at the On3 NIL Elite Series earlier this week, broke down just how much the Bulldogs have lost. Kirby Smart and Co. have about 60% of their production coming back, according to ESPN, and that number includes 70% of the defense from last year’s squad.

But what Georgia will miss, Herbstreit said, are the players who wanted to prove they could fill the shoes of the vaunted 2021 defense. That “chip on the shoulder” mentality was instrumental in last year’s success, which is another reason 2023 will usher in a new era.

“Well, they’ve lost so much,” Herbstreit told PicKell. “The culmination of the last two years is just a reality when you win that many championships back to back, which we haven’t seen in so long. And it’s not just the class from two years ago — with Nakobe Dean and that group when all those guys from the defense were first round. … I think then, a lot of those guys that stepped in last year, they had a chip on their shoulder and they were anxious to prove to people that, ‘We can still play defense even though we lost those guys.’ Now, some of those guys go, as well. So you’re really looking at a new wave. Stetson Bennett is no longer there, some new skill.”