In one of the most improbable stories in College Football history, Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Stetson Bennett has been named a Heisman finalist for this year’s award.
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TCU’s Max Duggan, Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, and USC’s Caleb Williams are the other three finalists for the most prestigious trophy in all of College Football, but none of them have a story quite like Bennett.
Once a walk-on for the University of Georgia, Bennett worked his way into the starting lineup last season and ran with the opportunity. Despite outside noise, he led the Bulldogs to their first National Championship since 1980, coming up with the game-winning touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.
But even after helping his team reach the ultimate goal a year ago, there were still plenty of fans that were eager to move past the Stetson Bennett era in hopes of starting a more high-profile quarterback. For a young man that has accomplished as much as he has and overcome all the odds, I’m not sure there has ever been a more disrespected player. However, as Bennett has done throughout his entire football career, he didn’t allow any of that to phase him and delivered his best performance yet as a collegiate athlete.
The Georgia quarterback finished the season with 3,425 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, and six interceptions. He also added 184 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. Those numbers don’t necessarily scream Heisman, but Bennett led his team to a perfect 13-0 record and #1 ranking. It also can’t be ignored that most of the time Georgia completely shut down their offense in the second half of games because they were up by 20+ points. If Kirby Smart wanted Bennett to finish the year with 30+ touchdowns and 4,000 yards, it would have happened with ease.
Bennett is the first Georgia Bulldogs player to be named a Heisman finalist since 1992 when Garrison Hearst was up for the award, and he’s looking to become the first Bulldog to win it since Herschel Walker took home the Heisman in 1982. Bennett is the first Georgia quarterback to ever be up for the award. His story is incredible, and in a year where there is no clear frontrunner, perhaps Bennett will become just the second Heisman Trophy winner in program history.
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