Mr. CFB: Is Stetson Bennett The Greatest Quarterback In Georgia History?
If you’re a Georgia Bulldog fan, here is one of those big-picture questions to ponder:
I’m sure that we can agree that Stetson Bennett IV, based on his performance to date, is one of the Top 10 quarterbacks in Georgia football history. He enters Monday night CFP national championship game against TCU with a record of 28-3 (90.3 percent) as a starting quarterback. He has won a national championship (2021), and an SEC championship (2022). He was one of four finalists for the 2022 Heisman Trophy.
He needs only 101 yards passing on Monday night to move past Jake Fromm and become Georgia’s No. 4 all-time passer behind Aaron Murray (the SEC’s all-time passer), David Greene, and Eric Zeier.
A win would also give Bennett his SECOND national championship, something that no other Georgia quarterback has ever done.
So where would that put Bennett on the school’s all-time list of quarterbacks?
Today, gentle readers, I’m putting him at No. 1, win or lose.
A couple of things to note about this list:
How a guy fared in the NFL had no impact on who made this list. This is for what a player did in college.
There are certain quarterbacks, like Fran Tarkenton and D.J. Shockley, who didn’t have enormous college numbers. But I wanted them on my list. Both won SEC championships and both made a tremendous impact at Georgia.
Most of you would have had Matthew Stafford ranked higher than No. 7 because Stafford was a highly-recruited guy who was picked No. 1 in the draft and he won a Super Bowl. That's fine.
So here is my list of the Top 10. Feel free to add your own and change the order.
TONY BARNHART’S TOP 10 GEORGIA QUARTERBACKS
1—Stetson Bennett IV (2017-2022) : The walk-on from Blackshear, Ga., is one of the greatest stories in the history of the sport. Monday night he has a chance to lead Georgia to its second straight national championship. The fact that he will be the school’s No. 4 passer despite only throwing 19 times as a freshman speaks volumes. He has played in three College Football Playoff games. He was MVP in all three.
2—Aaron Murray (2010-2013): Still the SEC’s all-time leading passer (13,166 yards) despite the fact that he played his last game for Georgia almost 10 years ago. He is the only quarterback in Georgia history to throw for over 3,000 yards for four consecutive seasons. You want to win a bar bet? Say “who is the SEC’s all-time passer—Danny Wuerffel or Peyton Manning?” Neither. It’s Murray.
3—David Greene (2001-2004): The big left-hander redshirted in 2000 and then had a remarkable four-year career where he led Georgia to 42 victories and two trips to the SEC championship game, winning it in 2002. His 42 victories was the highest total for a quarterback in NCAA history when he left Georgia. He is Georgia’s No. 2 all-time passer with 11,528 yards.
4—Eric Zeier (1991-1994): Georgia’s No. 3 all-time passer with 11,153 yards. He took over the job as a freshman in 1991 and never looked back. He led Georgia to the Citrus Bowl after 1992 season. He was named All-SEC three times.
5—Francis Tarkenton (1957-60): Led Georgia to the 1959 SEC championship. Was named the All-SEC quarterback in 1959 and 1960. With his passing and running skills, Tarkenton would have put up huge numbers if he played in today’s college football. He is a member of both the College Football Hall of fame and the Pro Football Hallof Fame.
6—Jake Fromm (2017-2019): Led Georgia to the SEC championship and a spot in the national championship game in 2017 as a freshman. Georgia won 36 games and made three appearances in the SEC championship game with Fromm as their starting quarterback. Despite the fact that he played only three years, Fromm finished his career as Georgia’s No. 4 all-time passer.
7—Matthew Stafford (2006-2008): Won 29 games and became the No. 1 pick overall in the 2009 NFL draft. His 25 touchdown passes in 2008 broke D.J. Shockley’s school record of 24 set in 2005. He is Georgia’s No. 6 all-time passer.
8—D.J. Shockley (2002-2005): Played three years behind David Greene waiting on his turn, which finally came in 2005. Shockley led Georgia to a 10-3 record and victory over LSU in the SEC championship game. For his efforts Shockley was named the MVP of the game.
9—Buck Belue (1978-1981): Belue is best remembered for the 93-yard touchdown pass to Lindsay Scott to beat Florida in Georgia’s national championship season in 1980. But it was Belue who came off the bench in 1978 and led the comeback to beat Georgia Tech 29-28. Belue was the perfect leader of the 1980 and 1981 SEC championship teams that went a combined 22-2. Despite the fact that he played in a heavily tailback-oriented offense, Belue is still Georgia’s No. 10 all-time passer (3,864). He was named the All-SEC quarterback in 1980 and 1981.
10—John Rauch (1945-1948): Most of you have never heard of John Rauch but the guy was a helluva player and a very good coach.
Rauch, who grew up in Philadelphia, led the Bulldogs to a 36-8-1 record and four straight bowls, including a Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl. He was the SEC Player of the Year in 1948. He was the No. 2 overall pick in the 1949 NFL Draft and was the head coach of the Oakland Raiders for Super Bowl II.
Honorable mention: Quincy Carter, Mike Bobo, Zeke Bratkowski, Andy Johnson, Ray Goff, Matt Robinson, Mike Cavan
So there you have it. There are a bunch of great Georgia quarterbacks who deserve to be on this list. Who would you add?
GEORGIA’S TOP FIVE CAREER PASSERS
1—Aaron Murray (2010-2013)…………………13,166
2—David Greene (2001-2004)………………….11,528
3—Eric Zeier (1991-1994)………………………..11,153
4—Jake Fromm (2017-2019)……………………..8,224
5—Stetson Bennett (2019-2022)………………..8,124