No. 13 – Los Angeles Rams | |
---|---|
Position: | Quarterback |
Personal information | |
Born: | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | October 28, 1997
Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
Weight: | 190 lb (86 kg) |
Career information | |
High school: | Pierce County (Blackshear, Georgia) |
College: |
|
NFL draft: | 2023 / Round: 4 / Pick: 128 |
Career history | |
| |
Roster status: | Active |
Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Player stats at PFR |
Stetson Fleming Bennett IV (born October 28, 1997) is an American professional football quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Jones College and Georgia. Nicknamed "the Mailman", [1] he started his career as a walk-on at Georgia before transferring to Jones College. Bennett transferred back to Georgia where he won consecutive national championships in 2021 and 2022, joining A. J. McCarron and Tommie Frazier as the only quarterbacks to win consecutive NCAA national championships. [2]
Bennett was born on October 28, 1997, in Atlanta, Georgia. [3] [4] In first grade, his family moved from Atlanta to Nahunta, Georgia. In eighth grade, his family moved to Blackshear, Georgia, where he played high school football at Pierce County High School. [5] [6] There, he led the school to three consecutive state playoff appearances, throwing for 3,724 yards, running for 500 more and scoring 40 total touchdowns as a senior. Bennett was a two-star quarterback coming out of high school and his only FBS scholarship offer came from Middle Tennessee State as coaches thought he was too short and too light—he was 5 feet 9.5 inches (1.765 m) and 185 pounds (84 kg) at the time. [7] [8]
Bennett was a walk-on at Georgia his freshman season in 2017. [9]
He did not take a snap the whole season. After five-star high school quarterback Justin Fields committed to Georgia in 2018, Bennett decided to transfer to Jones College. [10] [11] [12]
After his transfer, Bennett played in 12 games and threw for 16 touchdowns and 1,840 yards in his sophomore season. [13] He was a three-star prospect heading into his transfer. He was about to join the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns, [14] but he ended up returning to Georgia. [15] The Bulldogs were in need of a backup quarterback after Fields transferred to Ohio State. [16] Georgia offered Bennett a scholarship. He accepted and became Georgia's second-string quarterback. [17]
As Jake Fromm's backup in 2019, Bennett had two touchdowns and one interception on the season as a junior. He also had one rushing touchdown. [18] He most notably appeared in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Championship Game when Fromm went down with an injury. [19]
Heading into his senior season (2020), Bennett started the season as a backup quarterback to D'Wan Mathis. [20] Mathis was named the starter after Jamie Newman, the planned starter, opted out of the season. [21] Bennett became the starter after poor play from Mathis. [22] A few months later, USC transfer JT Daniels took the starting job. [23] Bennett appeared in eight games, of which he played significant time in six of them. He finished with 1,179 passing yards, eight passing touchdowns, and six interceptions to go along with two rushing touchdowns. [24]
Bennett began his 5th-year senior season as the backup to JT Daniels. [25] He made his first appearance and first start of the 2021 season against the UAB Blazers after Daniels went down with an oblique injury. [26] In that game, Bennett tied the record for most touchdowns in a game by a Georgia quarterback, with five. [27] Bennett was trusted with the starting job for the rest of the season, and he led the Bulldogs to a 12–0 record. [28] He finished the season with 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions. [29]
On December 4, 2021, Bennett threw for three touchdowns and two interceptions in the 41–24 loss in the SEC Championship Game against the Alabama Crimson Tide. [30] He was criticized for the loss, leading many to believe that JT Daniels should get the start against Michigan in the Orange Bowl. [31] Bennett remained the starter and helped lead the Bulldogs to a victory over Michigan. In the 34–11 victory, Bennett passed for 313 yards and three touchdowns. [32] Bennett led the Bulldogs to a victory in the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship game in a rematch against Alabama to give Georgia their first national title since 1980. [33] [34] Bennett passed for 224 yards and two touchdowns in the 33–18 victory. [35]
On January 20, 2022, just ten days after winning the National Championship and amid speculation that he would transfer, Bennett announced his return to Georgia. [36] [37] [38] In the preseason, Adam Rittenberg named Bennett a Heisman Trophy candidate. [39]
Bennett entered his 6th-year senior season as the starter, and in the season opener against Oregon, he threw for a then career-high 368 yards while throwing and rushing for three total touchdowns in a 49–3 rout. [40] After his performance, he was named the Walter Camp National Player of the Week and the Manning Award Quarterback of the Week. [41] [42] The following week, Bennett threw for 300 yards, before being replaced in the third-quarter by backup Carson Beck, in a 33–0 victory. [43]
During the 2022 regular season, Bennett led Georgia to a 13–0 record, including an SEC Championship. [44] During the 2022 SEC Championship Game, he passed for four touchdowns and 274 yards and was named the game's Most Valued Player (MVP) in a 50–30 victory. [45] Bennett finished the year with 20 passing touchdowns, 3,425 passing yards, six interceptions, and seven rushing touchdowns. [46] On December 5, 2022, Bennett was named a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, finishing fourth. [47] Bennett and the Bulldogs remained #1 and faced up against C. J. Stroud and the #4 ranked Ohio State in the 2022 Peach Bowl. Bennett and the Bulldogs beat Ohio State with a score of 42–41 to advance to the 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship for the second consecutive year. [48]
On January 9, 2023, Bennett and the Bulldogs defeated the TCU Horned Frogs in the 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship, with a score of 65–7. [49] He was named the offensive MVP of the game after combining for six total touchdowns. [50] This tied him with Joe Burrow, for the most total touchdowns in a College Football Playoff National Championship Game. [51] With the victory, Bennett led Georgia to the largest margin of victory in any bowl game at the FBS level at the time and becoming just the third team in college football history to finish the season with a record of 15–0. [52]
Bennett finished the season passing for 4,127 yards. With this mark, he surpassed the previous program record for passing yards in a single season, set by Aaron Murray in 2012. [53] [54] [55]
Season | Games | Passing | Rushing | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GP | GS | Record | Comp | Att | Pct | Yards | Avg | TD | Int | Rate | Att | Yards | Avg | TD | ||
Georgia Bulldogs | ||||||||||||||||
2017 | DNP | |||||||||||||||
Jones College Bobcats | ||||||||||||||||
2018 | 12 | 12 | 10–2 | 145 | 259 | 56.0 | 1,840 | 7.1 | 16 | 14 | 125.2 | 69 | 148 | 2.1 | 4 | |
Georgia Bulldogs | ||||||||||||||||
2019 | 5 | 0 | — | 20 | 27 | 74.1 | 260 | 9.6 | 2 | 1 | 172.0 | 3 | 12 | 4.0 | 1 | |
2020 | 8 | 5 | 3–2 | 86 | 155 | 55.5 | 1,179 | 7.6 | 8 | 6 | 128.7 | 24 | 54 | 2.3 | 2 | |
2021 | 14 | 12 | 11–1 | 185 | 287 | 64.5 | 2,859 | 10.0 | 29 | 7 | 176.6 | 56 | 259 | 4.6 | 1 | |
2022 | 15 | 15 | 15–0 | 310 | 454 | 68.3 | 4,127 | 9.1 | 27 | 7 | 161.2 | 57 | 205 | 3.6 | 10 | |
NJCAA Career | 12 | 12 | 10–2 | 145 | 259 | 56.0 | 1,840 | 7.1 | 16 | 14 | 125.2 | 69 | 148 | 2.1 | 4 | |
Career | 42 | 32 | 29–3 | 601 | 924 | 65.0 | 8,429 | 9.1 | 66 | 21 | 160.7 | 141 | 530 | 3.8 | 14 |
Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Vertical jump | Broad jump | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
5 ft 11+3⁄8 in (1.81 m) | 192 lb (87 kg) | 28+7⁄8 in (0.73 m) | 10 in (0.25 m) | 4.67 s | 1.59 s | 2.65 s | 4.20 s | 33.5 in (0.85 m) | 9 ft 10 in (3.00 m) | |||
All values from the NFL Combine [56] [57] |
Bennett was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the fourth round, 128th overall, in the 2023 NFL draft. [58] He was placed on the reserve/non-football illness list on September 13, 2023. [59]
Stetson Bennett IV is the son of Denise and Stetson Bennett III. His parents met at and graduated from the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy. Bennett is the grandson of Buddy Bennett, who played quarterback for the South Carolina Gamecocks from 1958 to 1960 and later was a coach. [60]
On January 28, 2023, Bennett was arrested in Dallas, Texas on public intoxication charges after banging on doors in a residential area at 6 a.m. [61] [62]
Donald Eugene "D. J." Shockley is an American sports anchor and former football player who was a quarterback. He was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL draft and served as a backup quarterback for four and a half years, but never played in a regular season or postseason game. He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs.
John Matthew Stafford is an American professional football quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs and was selected first overall by the Detroit Lions in the 2009 NFL draft. Ranking in the top 12 of all time in pass attempts, pass completions, passing yards and passing touchdowns, Stafford is currently fifth all-time in passing yards per game and is the fastest player in NFL history to have reached 40,000 career passing yards.
The 2007 Georgia Bulldogs football team competed on behalf of the University of Georgia in American football against teams from other colleges and universities. The Bulldogs tied for first place in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) but lost a tie-breaker with the University of Tennessee. The team finished its season by defeating the Hawaii Warriors in the 2008 Sugar Bowl. This was the Georgia Bulldogs' seventh season under the guidance of head coach Mark Richt.
Nicholas Deshawn Marshall Sr. is an American professional football cornerback who is a free agent. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL), following the 2015 NFL draft. He played college football at Auburn as a quarterback and was the Tigers' starter from 2013 to 2014. He also played for the New York Jets and Saskatchewan Roughriders.
The Clemson–Georgia football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Clemson Tigers and Georgia Bulldogs. It was for many years a spirited "border" rivalry between the two schools that are separated by a mere 70 miles. They met annually from 1897 to 1916, and again from 1962 to 1987. The majority of meetings in over the first half century took place in Athens and Augusta, Georgia until 1967, not long after Clemson College expanded to University status, when the series shifted to become a more traditional, annual home-away series. Georgia leads the series 43–18–4, with 42 games played in Georgia, 22 games played in South Carolina, and one game played in North Carolina. Since 1987, the two schools have played intermittently.
Hutson Taylor Mason is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Georgia and was the Bulldogs starting quarterback in 2014. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Washington Redskins in 2015.
Greyson Bryce Lambert is a former American football quarterback and baseball pitcher, who began his college football career at the University of Virginia, where he spent three seasons playing for the Virginia Cavaliers. After the 2014 season, he transferred to the University of Georgia and played two seasons for the Georgia Bulldogs. Following his career with Georgia he signed with the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB).
William Jacob Fromm is an American professional football quarterback for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Georgia and was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL draft. Fromm has also been a member of the New York Giants and Washington Commanders.
William Trevor Lawrence is an American professional football quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). Considered among the highest-touted college football prospects, he won the 2019 National Championship Game as a freshman with the Clemson Tigers and set the school's record for quarterback wins. Selected first overall by the Jaguars in the 2021 NFL draft, Lawrence had a breakout season in 2022 when he led the Jaguars to their first division title and playoff win since 2017.
Jonathan Tyler Daniels is an American former college football quarterback who played for the USC Trojans and the Georgia Bulldogs, where he won the CFP national championship as a backup to Stetson Bennett. He then transferred to the West Virginia Mountaineers, and finally played for the Rice Owls.
Justin Skyler Fields is an American professional football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). Following a stint with the Georgia Bulldogs, he played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, where he was twice named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and appeared in the 2021 National Championship Game.
D'Wan Terence Mathis is an American football quarterback for the Davenport Panthers. He began his career at Georgia in 2019 and transferred to Temple in 2021.
Coleridge Bernard "C. J." Stroud IV is an American professional football quarterback for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, where he holds several school records, including most passing yards in a single game with 573, as well as being the first player to throw for six touchdowns three times. Stroud was a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2021 and 2022 and was selected by the Texans second overall in the 2023 NFL draft. In his rookie season, he led the Texans to a division title and playoff victory en route to winning the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award.
Brock Benefield Vandagriff is an American football quarterback for the Kentucky Wildcats. He was a member of the 2021 and 2022 Georgia Bulldogs that won back-to-back national championships.
Brock Allen Bowers is an American professional football tight end for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs, where he was a two-time national champion and John Mackey Award winner and holds the school record for single-season receiving touchdowns with 13. A three-time All-American, Bowers has been cited among the greatest tight ends in college football history and was selected by the Raiders in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft.
Caleb Sequan Williams is an American professional football quarterback for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). Following one season of college football with the Oklahoma Sooners, he played for the USC Trojans and won the 2022 Heisman Trophy after setting single-season school records in passing yards and touchdowns. Williams was selected first overall by the Bears in the 2024 NFL draft.
Andrew Ladd McConkey is an American professional football wide receiver for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Georgia, winning two national championships and the 2023 Wuerffel Trophy. He was selected by the Chargers in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft.
Kenneth McIntosh is an American professional football running back for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Georgia.
Carson Raine Beck is an American football quarterback for the Georgia Bulldogs. He was part of two national championships in 2021 and 2022.
Gunner Duvall Stockton is an American football quarterback for the Georgia Bulldogs.