Stetson Bennett will return to Georgia for 2022 season

Stetson Bennett will be back in a Georgia uniform next season.

Bennett, the quarterback who helped lead Georgia to its first national title since 1980 last week, announced Wednesday that he will return to school for his final year of eligibility. Bennett, a former walk-on, will be a sixth-year senior.

The 5-foot-11, 190-pound Bennett originally arrived at Georgia as a walk-on back in 2017. After being buried on the depth chart, he spent time in junior college before returning to Athens — this time on scholarship. As other more heralded players on the roster dealt with injuries or were ineffective, Bennett got his chance and was the team’s top quarterback for much of the 2020 season.

Late in the year, Bennett was benched in favor of JT Daniels, a former five-star recruit who was finally healthy after transferring in from USC. Daniels opened the 2021 season as the starter, but dealt with multiple injuries. With the Bulldogs playing at an elite level defensively, Bennett stepped in to lead the offense and never relinquished the starting job.

There were some shaky moments along the way, but Bennett made several key throws in UGA’s national championship victory over Alabama. The Georgia native was named the game’s offensive MVP and finished with 224 passing yards and two touchdowns, both of which came in the second half.

For the season, Bennett threw for 2,862 yards, 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions while completing 64.5% of his attempts. He also rushed for 259 yards and a score.

Earlier Wednesday, Daniels’ name appeared in the NCAA transfer portal, signaling his intention to leave Athens.

With Daniels transferring and Bennett returning, UGA has four quarterbacks on scholarship entering the 2022 season. In addition to Bennett, Georgia also has Carson Beck, Brock Vandagriff and Gunner Stockton on the roster.

Beck was a four-star recruit in UGA’s 2020 class and its third-stringer for most of the season. Vandagriff was a five-star recruit in UGA’s 2021 class and ranked behind only Quinn Ewers and Caleb Williams among quarterbacks in his class.

Stockton is a 2022 signee. A four-star recruit, Stockton was rated as the second-best dual-threat QB in his class by Rivals. He came in at No. 36 overall for his class.