ATHENS — It was a good day to be Stetson Bennett.
Truthfully, every day is. But Monday was especially good as Bennett realized two national honors on the same day. First, he found out he was a Heisman Trophy finalist while traveling to Arkansas to attend ceremonies for the Burlsworth Trophy. Three hours later, he was named the winner of the Burlsworth, which goes annually to the nation’s best player who started his career as a walkon.
The sixth-year senior was also a finalist for the Burlsworth last year. He was gracious – and funny – with his acceptance remarks at the ceremony, which was broadcast live on YouTube.
“To my teammates: How ‘bout them Dawgs? SEC Champs!” said Bennett, who walked on at Georgia in 2017. “It’s been the pleasure of my life being there. It’s been a long period of my life being there. I really wish my teammates could be here with me. But they took the easy way out and got scholarships out of high school.”
Bennett was chosen from 81 nominees, 10 semifinalists and three finalists. The other two were Purdue quarterback Aidan O’Connell and Troy linebacker Carlton Martial.
While winning the Burlsworth came as little surprise to anyone, Bennett being named one of four finalists for the Heisman Trophy – college football’s top individual award – was a bit of a shocker, at least for him.
“I don’t even know what to think right now,” he said in a statement circulated by UGA Sports Communications on Monday night. “We have a lot of good players who make me look good. It’s special. This honor is all about my teammates and this team. I wouldn’t be here if we didn’t have the team that we have. This honor is for them.”
After leading the Bulldogs to the national championship last season and to an undefeated season, No. 1 ranking and back into the College Football Playoff this year, Bennett seemed a shoo-in for the Burlsworth before the winner was announced.
Not so much for the Heisman. The 5-foot-11, 190-pound quarterback is considered a long shot for the Heisman simply because his statistical profile doesn’t really measure up to the other finalists. Bennett will be joined in New York by USC quarterback Caleb Williams, TCU quarterback Max Duggan and Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud.
Bennett passed for 20 touchdowns and 3,425 yards and rushed for seven other scores this season. He threw for 279 yards and four TDs in the Bulldogs’ 50-30 win over LSU to clinch the SEC Championship on Saturday. Georgia enters the CFP semifinals as the No. 1 seed and will play No. 4 Ohio State (11-1) on Dec. 31 in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in Atlanta.
Bennett’s numbers are somewhat depressed due to the dominance with which the Bulldogs played this season. For instance, he has only 321 yards passing in the fourth quarter all season. That’s because the sixth-year senior usually was sidelined due to the blowout nature of Georgia’s games. The Bulldogs’ victory margin in 13 contests was 27 points, with an average score of 39.2-12.8.
However, Bennett’s passing yardage is second only to Mississippi State’s Will Rogers in the SEC and 11th in FBS. The Bulldogs are seventh in the nation in total offense (491.9 ypg) and 11th in scoring (39.2 ppg).
Georgia has not had a finalist in New York for the Heisman Trophy since Garrison Hearst in 1992. Twice in program history has Georgia had a player win the Heisman Trophy, with Herschel Walker winning in 1982 and Frank Sinkwich in 1942.
Bennett was particularly proud to become the first Heisman finalist under seventh-year coach Kirby Smart at Georgia.
“I understand what Coach Smart means when he says that success comes to those who don’t look for it or are too busy working to look for it,” Bennett said. “I have never thought about the Heisman. I just wanted to play quarterback at Georgia. I just wanted to play football. I’m thinking of the players and people who have been in this with me. Regardless of who wins, it’s a huge honor to be in this group. The wideouts, tight ends, running backs, offensive line, defense, coaches – I wouldn’t have this opportunity without them so a ton of gratitude for them.”
The trophy will be presented to the winner during the nationally televised event Saturday night at 8 (ESPN).
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