Kirk Herbstreit raves about Stetson Bennett, Kirby Smart's decision to stick with him

Stetson Bennett‘s journey from being a walk-on to a National Championship-winning quarterback at Georgia has been well-documented. One thing has remained constant during his collegiate career, as people have continuously counted him out. Bennett’s journey has impressed many, including ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit.

Even last season, Bennett’s starting quarterback role was in question. JT Daniels opened the year as Georgia’s starter, but injuries to Daniels forced Bennett back into action. He held onto that role and never looked back, though many still called for Daniels all the way up until the National Championship.

“Without a doubt. I think what an opportunity they have Monday to be the new bar in the sport if they’re not already. Kirby’s created a very consistent brand. The decision on Stetson, he’ll be the first one to tell you, and I’m sure he’s told you, Paul, this because he is pretty open about it, that he and all the offensive coaches struggled with the idea of him being the guy last year and really was hoping JT Daniels would get healthy and get back and be the guy to lead them to wherever they were going last year,” Herbstreit said.

“And all Stetson Bennett did was keep making plays and keep making plays. And like you said, he came up short in Atlanta, and I didn’t realize that there were a lot of people questioning if he was the guy at that point. I thought that was more middle of the year. But regardless, whenever the decision was made and however much noise was on the outside of the program, the little guy just kept battling and kept making plays.”

Bennett threw for 313 yards and three touchdowns in the College Football Playoff semifinal against Michigan last year, a 34-11 victory for the Bulldogs. He then had 224 yards and two touchdowns in the title game against Alabama.

Herbstreit is a big fan of Bennett’s ability to prove people wrong

Overall, Bennett completed 64.5 percent of his passes for 2,862 yards, 29 touchdowns and seven interception as Georgia’s starter in 2021. And he led his team to a national title despite questions about his job security throughout the entirety of the season. To Herbstreit and many others, that feat from Bennett is incredibly impressive. And so is Kirby Smart’s decision to ride with Bennett at the helm of the offense.

Even more impressive might be the 2022 campaign for Bennett. He completed 68.1 percent of his passes for 3,425 yards with 20 touchdowns and six interceptions, also rushing for 184 yards and seven touchdowns on his way to becoming a finalist for the Heisman Trophy.

“And I think even the coaches threw their hands up in the air and said, ‘Man, this guy gives us our best chance to win.’ And I think last year in that championship game against Alabama, that second half, they went from, ‘Oh gosh, what are we going to do?’ to, ‘Put the ball in his hands.’ And I don’t want to say he won it for them, but I know his playmaking ability and a lot of those throws late in that game had a lot to do with how they won that game,” said Herbstreit.

“And then he comes back this year as a seasoned veteran, and I think now he’s the face of the offense in the program. It’s incredible, the journey. You could honestly write a movie script on his story. I’m excited to see if he gets an opportunity to write this final chapter the way he wants. But it’s been a lot of fun to watch this guy against all odds proving everybody, including his own coaches and his own fans, wrong to the point of potentially winning back-to-back national titles. For me personally as a college football nut, I’ll never forget what he’s done and how he had to prove people wrong along the way.”

Bennett’s career is one that many, including Herbstreit, will remember for some time. The ultimate underdog has turned himself into one of college football’s top players, and he has a chance to go out as a two-time national champion if Georgia can defeat TCU on Monday night.