Stetson Bennett IV cemented his place in Georgia history this past season, leading the Bulldogs to their first national championship since 1980.

But, can he add to his legacy even more in 2022? He’ll be back for 1 more ride with the Dawgs, and he’s the unquestioned starter this time around, it seems.

Bryce Young (Alabama), CJ Stroud (Ohio State) and Caleb Williams (USC) are the favorites to win the Heisman in 2022, but in a roundtable discussion among ESPN’s CFB experts, Adam Rittenberg named Bennett as a dark-horse candidate to watch:

This might shock some folks, but what about Georgia’s Stetson Bennett? He’s the returning starter for the defending national champions, ranked fourth nationally in pass efficiency and third in total QBR, and will lead an extremely talented offense under the same coordinator (Todd Monken). I realize why Bennett is so easily written off, but should he be?

Georgia loses a lot of talent, particularly on defense, to the 2022 NFL Draft. But, Kirby Smart has recruited at an elite level for a number of years, so reinforcements should be on the way.

It does seem likely that Georgia’s defense will take at least a minor step back in 2022, though, which could lead to Bennett being forced to throw more. That could, in turn, lead to bigger numbers being posted by the Georgia QB.