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Stetson Bennett IV is a Heisman Trophy candidate whether you like it or not

Alicia de Artola
Alicia de Artola

Fansided

Georgia football quarterback Stetson Bennett. (John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports)

Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett IV has been doubted his whole career. Against the odds, he looks like a Heisman Trophy candidate in 2022.

He’s already led Georgia football to a national championship, but you wouldn’t guess it based on the conversations around Stetson Bennett IV.

The Bulldog quarterback hasn’t been talked about among the best quarterbacks in the country at any point. He can’t quite shake the “former walkon” tag.

But on Saturday against Oregon, he made his case for some R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

Georgia football: Stetson Bennett IV is a Heisman Trophy candidate

Bennett went 25-of-31 for 368 yards and two touchdowns. He also scored a touchdown on the ground.

The numbers were good. The performance itself was better. Bennett made plays. He wasn’t just managing the game, he was dominating it.

He may not be the best NFL prospect in college football this year but he deserves some credit for the college football quarterback he has become. When it comes to leading his offense, he clearly has what it takes.

He may have been a walk-on. He may have been JT Daniels’ backup. Now he’s the undisputed leader of the defending national champions.

Oregon has a talent-laden defense. Bennett wasn’t putting up career numbers against the Sisters of the Poor. Against legitimate Power 5 opposition, he put on a show.

Bennett will have countless opportunities to prove himself as the season continues. If any other quarterback at a top program like Georgia had the performance Bennett had on Saturday, they wouldn’t need more games to get national recognition. They would be showing up at the top of the Heisman Power rankings.

For more NCAA football news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff rankings, be sure to bookmark these pages.

Alicia de Artola

Alicia de Artola

Alicia de Artola is an editor at FanSided.com, covering college football and basketball, NFL, MLB, NBA, English Premier League, Formula 1 and much more. She has more than a decade of experience in sports, and co-hosts Reign of Troy Radio, the popular USC football podcast. She’s covered games and practices, taken photos on the sidelines and interviewed Trojans legends as a USC beat writer from 2016 to 2019. Since 2020, she has taken a broader national focus, writing about every sport under the sun, including major events from the College Football Playoff and Super Bowl to the World Series and NBA Finals. A member of the Football Writers Association of America and Association for Women in Sports Media, de Artola joined FanSided in 2012 and has since been inducted into the FanSided Hall of Fame. She lives with her husband and border collie in Los Angeles.