One would think that being a productive starting quarterback for the team that won a national championship would be enough to silence the critics, but apparently not. A consistent theme ringing through SEC Media Days last week was what Coach Kirby Smart thought of Bennett, even to the point that Smart called him "one of the least respected good players in the country."
Brandon Adams of Dawgnation joined the Midday Show to discuss where Bennett needed to improve, and he had some interesting comments about the former walk-on in terms of his confidence in himself.
"The caricature of Stetson Bennett is just so different than the real Stetson Bennett is," Brandon Adams told the Midday Show on Tuesday. "There are a lot of people that think that because (Stetson) Bennett is short and because he's a former walk-on, that he's essentially Georgia's version of Rudy. The ultimate underdog."
Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger is probably the most famous walk-on player in college football history. He was a member of the mid-70s Notre Dame practice squad and was given the chance to dress for the team's final game against Georgia Tech. In that game, he was famously carried off the field after a sacking Georgia Tech's quarterback, Rudy Allen, in a moment that has turned into an all-time great sports movie.
That underdog mentality that Rudy portrayed is certainly not how the Georgia starting quarterback sees or carries himself.
"Stetson Bennett doesn't see himself as a game manager and he doesn't act like a game manager," Adams said. "If Bennett were to envision himself as being anything, I think he thinks of himself as Baker Mayfield. In fact, that's kind of the role that he played as the scout team quarterback in 2017 which earned him some fans within the Georgia program, but he's a little bit of a cocky dude."
Baker Mayfield was also a walk-on quarterback, but he flashed bravado en route to a Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff berth at Oklahoma.
While Bennett may not win a Heisman or get selected first overall in the NFL Draft, Brandon Adams seems to believe the two share a similar mindset in how they approach the game. That belief and confidence in himself is likely why he has been able to block out the critics that grew increasingly louder over the course of the 2020 and 2021 seasons. On the other hand, it could lend some understanding into why he occasionally bites off a little more than he can chew in certain situations. Adams sees this as an avenue that could unlock another level of his potential.
"The issue for Bennett is really not the arm strength," Adams explained. "He just makes some throws sometimes that probably doesn't need to make and he's overly reliant on what he views his talent level to be. But if he can be just a little bit more careful, he probably would be a better quarterback."
The former walk-on was fantastic for the reigning national champions last season. He started 14 games, throwing for 2,862 yards and 29 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Bennett really showed what he could do in the National Championship against Alabama, completing 17 of 26 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns, including two dominant drives in the second half that clinched the first Georgia championship in 41 years.
Now back for his final season as the undisputed starter for the Bulldogs, Stetson Bennett will look to further silence the critics and win football games.
