Stetson Bennett says it was 'extremely hard' to turn down Billy Napier at Louisiana

As No. 1 Georgia prepares to take on SEC East rival Florida in Jacksonville, there’s probably at least one person wondering what might have been. That man is Florida coach Billy Napier, who now has the unfortunate distinction of facing off against fully seasoned quarterback Stetson Bennett IV, a player he very nearly signed at Louisiana.

Of course, had Napier inked the Bulldogs quarterback in the 2018 class, who knows how things in the SEC the last couple years might have gone.

The reality? A last-minute phone call came in from Georgia and Bennett opted to head there instead of going to Louisiana, where Napier was recruiting him at the time. Bennett has since won a national title, earning MVP honors in the national title game a year ago. He’s a superstar in Athens, Ga.

Bennett discussed his decision with the benefit of hindsight after Trey Wallace from OutKick.com wrote about his back-and-forth with Napier over the summer.

“It was extremely hard,” Bennett said of telling Napier he was headed to Georgia. “There was a few schools like that. Them and Samford was actually probably my toughest one. I just love (coach Chris Hatcher). He was my high school coach’s quarterback in college, so I just had a good relationship there and knew the offense pretty well.”

When it came down to it, though, Bennett opted to return to Georgia following a one-year stint at Jones County Junior College. A scholarship spot had opened up when former five-star prospect Justin Fields entered the transfer portal on Dec. 18, 2018.

One day later Bennett signed a national letter of intent with the Bulldogs, officially a scholarship player.

“It’s a tough phone call, but I’m sure he had to make those same phone calls whenever he came to Florida,” Bennett said. “That’s just this game. Make your decisions and let them know and they say, ‘All right,’ and you say, ‘All right,’ and smile next time you see them.”

Stetson Bennett IV will face Billy Napier’s squad Saturday

It might be all smiles on the field before the game on Saturday between Bennett and Napier, but there will be no love lost once the game kicks off at TIAA Bank Field at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Florida and Georgia are bitter rivals and the Bulldogs enter as heavy favorites.

Bennett, for his part, is 1-1 against the Gators but has not played particularly well in the annual rivalry game. He went 5-of-16 for 78 yards, with one touchdown and one interception, in a 44-28 loss in 2020. Then he went 10-of-19 for 161 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions, in last year’s 34-7 win.

He’ll be out to show Napier what he missed on Saturday as he looks to keep Georgia’s unbeaten season intact. The game will be broadcast on CBS.