What is Stetson Bennett waiting on to make his Decision?

With the offseason officially underway, roster movement has begun in Athens with one of those potentially being Stetson Bennett, so what's the latest on that situation?

After capping off a national title this season, quarterback Stetson Bennett is now faced with the decision of where he is going to play football during the 2022 season. Many players have gone to social media to announce their next step whether it be testing the waters in the transfer portal, declaring for the NFL draft, or returning to UGA for another season. Bennett on the other hand has not made an announcement, so what is the former walk-on waiting on? 

In an interview with Good Morning America the day after the national championship, Bennett made a statement that highlighted some factors that will play a part in his decision for the upcoming season.

“But for the next year, I’m gonna play football. I’ve got a decent amount of years. Hopefully, I live until at least 80. So, we’ll say 60 years to not play football. I’m going to play football this year — we’ll see where. We will see if I can trust the decisions made by the staff, and we will see where I’m going to play. But right now I'm enjoying this national championship and the next part, who knows.”

In that quote from Bennett, he made it clear that he is indeed going to play another season of college football, but even he doesn't know where that will be. He did, however, pinpoint that the decisions made by the staff and his trust in those decisions will play a factor, so what does Bennett mean by that? 

For starters, movement in Georgia's quarterback room could play a part. As it currently stands, no quarterbacks on Georgia's roster have announced that they will be leaving the program and pursuing another school, but that doesn't mean it won't happen. 

With a crowded room that currently consists of Stetson Bennett, JT Daniels, Carson Beck, Brock Vandagriff, and Gunner Stockton it provides a real possibility for one of, if not, multiple players to possibly test their luck in the portal. Then again, that is also not a guarantee but maybe Bennett is waiting it out to see what happens there. 

Another possible factor is a change at OC. Todd Monken's name has been rumored to be in the coaching search in the NFL, and if Monken decides to take one of those jobs the coach to fill that position would certainly have an impact on Bennett's decision. A scenario that includes changing play-callers is certainly where trusting the decisions made by the staff comes into play.

Lastly, despite winning a national championship for Georgia, Bennett had to withstand a lot of noise from outside voices and ones that were not too fond of the Blackshear, GA native. While that comes with the territory of being the starting quarterback at a school like Georgia, it doesn't make handling the situation any easier and could certainly influence a player's decision of if they would want to endure that for another season. 

In short, there are a lot of things that Bennett has to take into account when making his decision. Those of which hold the highest priority to Stetson are unknown but one can definitely understand why Bennett is taking his time in regards to making a decision for next season. 

Kirby Smart and his staff would be more than happy to welcome back the quarterback that just led them to a national title, but in the end, it all boils down to how Bennett feels about the situation and what he feels is best for the next step in his collegiate career, and a decision like that takes time to process.

NFL Draft Declarations Update:

• January 17th, 2022 - Georgia LB Channing Tindall Declares for the 2022 NFL Draft
• January 17th, 2022 - Georgia DB William Poole will return to Athens
• January 17th, 2022 - Georgia OL Justin Shaffer declares for the NFL Draft
• January 17th, 2022 - Georgia LB Nolan Smith will return to Athens
• January 16th, 2022 - Georgia DB Tykee Smith will return to Athens
• January 16th, 2022 - Georgia P Jake Camarda declares for the 2022 NFL Draft
• January 15th, 2022 - Georgia DB Derion Kendrick declares for the 2022 NFL Draft
• January 15th, 2022- Georgia DL Devonte Wyatt declares for the 2022 NFL Draft
• January 14th, 2022 - Georgia S Lewis Cine declares for the 2022 NFL Draft.
• January 14th, 2022 - Georgia LB Nakobe Dean declares for the 2022 NFL Draft.
• January 14th, 2022 - Georgia DL Travon Walker declares for the 2022 NFL Draft.
  
• January 14th, 2022 - Georgia WR George Pickens declares for the 2022 NFL Draft
  
• January 14th, 2022 - Georgia RB Zamir White declares for the 2022 NFL Draft.
• January 12th, 2022 - Georgia RB James Cook declares for the 2022 NFL Draft.

TRANSFER PORTAL UPDATE

• January 15th, 2022- Jalen Kimber will transfer to Florida
• January 15th, 2022- Justin Robinson will transfer to Mississippi State
• January 14th, 2022 - Lovasea Carroll has entered the NCAA Transfer Portal
  
• January 13th, 2022 - Latavious Brini Announced he will be entering the NCAA Transfer Portal
• January 12th, 2022 - Sources confirm Georgia DB Jalen Kimber is in the NCAA transfer portal
• January 12th, 2022 - Georgia WR Justin Robinson has requested to enter the portal according to sources.
• January 11th, 2022 - Georgia WR Jaylen Johnson has entered the NCAA Transfer Portal according to sources
• January 11th, 2022 - Sources confirm DB, Ameer Speed has entered the NCAA Transfer portal

The conclusion of this season now sparks the conversation of players who are draft-eligible and could be leaving the program to chase their dreams of becoming an NFL player. It also creates the question of players who could possibly be returning for another season as a Georgia Bulldog, and with the additional year of eligibility granted by NCAA due to COVID-19, things are gonna get messy.

The following players listed below are ones who have obtained the required three years in college football and are eligible to enter the 2022 NFL draft:

• Warren McClendon, OL, RS Sophomore
• George Pickens, WR, Junior *Declared for NFL Draft
  
• Nolan Smith, LB, Junior *Will return to Athens for another season
• JT Daniels, QB, Junior
• Kenny McIntosh, RB, Junior
• Lewis Cine, S, Junior *Declared for NFL Draft
• Nakobe Dean, LB, Junior *Declared for NFL Draft
  
• Tykee Smith, DB, Junior *Returning to Athens
• Travon Walker, DL, Junior *Declared for NFL Draft
  
• Warren Ericcson, OL, Junior
• John Fitzpatrick, TE, Senior
• James Cook, RB, Senior *Declared for NFL Draft
• Zamir White, RB, Senior *Declared for NFL Draft
• Quay Walker, LB, Senior
• Kearis Jackson, WR, Senior
• Ameer Speed, DB, Senior *Entered Transfer Portal
• Jaylen Johnson, WR, Senior *Entered Transfer Portal
• Derion Kendrick, DB, Senior *Declared for the NFL Draft
• Stetson Bennett, QB, Senior
• Christopher Smith, DB, Senior *Returning to Georgia for 2022
  
• William Poole, DB, Senior *Will return to Athens for another season
• Robert Beal Jr, LB, Senior
• Latavious Brini, DB, Senior *Entered Transfer Portal
• Channing Tindall, LB, Senior *Declared for the NFL Draft
• Justin Shaffer, OL, Senior *Declared for the NFL Draft
• Jamaree Salyer, OL, Senior *Declared for the NFL Draft
• Jake Carmada, P, Senior *Declared for the NFL Draft
• Julian Rochester, DL, Senior
• Devonte Wyatt, DL, Senior *Declared for NFL Draft
• Jordan Davis, DL, Senior

You Might Also Like:

• Scouting Notebook: What We Learned About UGAs Future at All-American Bowl
• Georgia Offense Key to Success is Spreading The Wealth
• Todd Hartley Recognized as Tight End Coach of the Year

Join the community

Follow Brooks Austin on Twitter: @BrooksAustinSI

Subscribe to our YouTube Page HERE

You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook @BulldogMaven & follow us on Twitter at @BulldogsSI.