Aaron Murray Names the 'Greatest Georgia Player of All Time'

Aaron Murray believes this former Georgia quarterback is the greatest player in program history.

Nov 9, 2013; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Aaron Murray (11) runs through the Appalachian State Mountaineers defense during the second half at Sanford Stadium. Georgia defeated Appalachian State 45-6. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The "greatest of all time" conversation is a common discourse among sports fans.

Whether it involves Tom Brady, Wayne Gretzky or a raging debate between LeBron James and Michael Jordan, every fan loves to discuss the greatest player in their favorite sport.

In addition to a sport as a whole, fans love to name players who are the "greatest of all time" for their teams. Former Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray did just that on a recent edition of "The Next Round," naming former Bulldogs quarterback Stetson Bennett IV as the greatest player in program history.

"Stetson may never play a down in the NFL, but Stetson in my opinion is the greatest Georgia football player of all time," Murray said.

"What he was able to accomplish, the way he played in those two seasons, the way he played in the playoffs, the way he played in the national championship, to me, he's the G.O.A.T. I'm separating college and the NFL when I rank 'the greats' when people ask me about Georgia football."

Several outside of the Georgia football program will argue against Bennett as its greatest player of all time, citing help from skill players like running back James Cook, wide receiver Ladd McConkey and a generational tight end prospect in Brock Bowers.

Additionally, the tenacity Georgia fostered on the defensive end in those years has become nearly impossible to recreate in modern college football.

Murray also holds a place among the all-time greats at Georgia. In four years as a starter for the Bulldogs, Murray threw for 13,166 yards, the most in Georgia program history and in the SEC for a decade until Mississippi State's Will Rogers snapped it. Unlike Rogers, Murray did not have the benefit of playing in an air raid system under Mark Richt.

While Murray played on some tremendous Georgia teams, none broke through the SEC championship game and into a national championship. Bennett is the only quarterback in the history of Georgia football who can flex a pair of national championships and the first to finish a season undefeated since Buck Belue in 1980.

Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett (13) throws a pass during the second half of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl NCAA College Football Playoff semifinal game between Ohio State and Georgia on Saturday, Dec 31, 2022, in Atlanta. Georgia won 42-41. | Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Bennett's journey at Georgia adds to his status as a legendary figure in the program's history. He transferred to Jones College in Mississippi following his first season at Georgia and returned to the Bulldogs in 2019.

Bennett won the starting job over Dwan Mathis and later lost it to JT Daniels in 2020, but he eventually edged out Daniels in 2021.

In his final two seasons with the Bulldogs, Bennett threw for a combined 7,090 yards and 56 touchdowns and ran for 464 yards and 11 more touchdowns. The first of the two national championships was the exorcism of 40 years of average football against one of the great dynasties in college football history, in Nick Saban-led Alabama.