Bulldogs ready to have teammate Stetson Bennett back in the fold

It took Georgia wide receiver Terry Godwin about two seconds to recall a memory about the newest quarterback signee Stetson Bennett. And when Godwin begins to flash his iconic smile, there’s a solid chance he has something good to say.

There was one practice last season where Bennett showed off against Georgia’s defense, Godwin recalled. He rolled to the right sideline and threw to a receiver across field for a touchdown.

“There aren’t too many quarterbacks who can do that at his size and speed,” Godwin said. “He’s a true definition of a smaller Johnny Manziel to me.”

Bennett was Georgia’s last signee of the early period on Dec. 19, and it concluded quite the path for the Pierce County product. He came to Athens as a preferred walk-on in 2017 and served as a “beast,” according to a former coach, on scout team throughout the season. Then, he decided to transfer to Jones County Junior College.

After one season, Georgia’s call to Bennett after scrambling for quarterback depth became too much to resist. He was originally committed to Louisiana, then a spot came open with the Bulldogs after Justin Fields’ decision to enter the transfer portal.

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said he was “exploring all options” in an attempt to have four quarterbacks on scholarship next season, and Bennett was the familiar name. Dwan Mathis, formerly committed to Ohio State, signed hours before Bennett and John Rhys Plumlee is the third quarterback pledge expected to sign in February.

“Stet, we knew everything about him,” Georgia offensive coordinator Jim Chaney said in his Sugar Bowl availability. “We figured he could come right back in our program and know our system very well. He’s a good football player, so we’re glad to get both (Mathis and Bennett).”

Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm on the added depth next season in the Bulldogs’ quarterback room: “Competition anywhere is going to make you play better. But also, for me, it really doesn’t matter who’s in that room, I’m gonna try to be the best I can be.

OK, but back to the Manziel reference: He won the Heisman while at Texas A&M and was a first-round draft pick. Meanwhile, Bennett has yet to play meaningful action collegiately. But his displays have come against the Bulldogs’ first team as sophomore linebacker Monty Rice remembered him throwing 14 straight completions in the red zone on one occasion.

Georgia’s fondness of Bennett isn’t surprising, either. After his signing was officially announced, an onslaught of welcoming comments (some goat emojis included to reference the acronym for “Greatest Of All Time”) were sent to Twitter by his teammates.

So, when Bennett — also known as ‘The Mailman’ — steps back onto the practice field, those smiles by teammates may vanish.

“I hated playing against him,” senior Jonathan Ledbetter said on Dec. 20, prior to Georgia arriving in New Orleans. “He’s a great athlete and a great player.”

This story was originally published December 30, 2018 at 3:19 PM.