Kirby Smart discusses why he thinks Stetson Bennett IV can lead Georgia to a title

Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs are the No. 1 team in the country and are 10-0 after a big win at Tennessee on Saturday.

Stetson Bennett IV has locked down the starting quarterback job, even with JT Daniels seemingly healthy after an injury that plagued him for several weeks.

So, when did Smart come to believe Bennett could lead the Dawgs to a national title? Well, he said he’s always believed in Bennett:

“I don’t know if I ever didn’t believe he could,” Smart said. “I’ve always thought Stetson was a good player. You say well why wasn’t he the one? Well, at the time we were going with JT. JT being injured gave Stetson the opportunity to play in games and make the plays he’s made. You go back to the South Carolina game and JT played pretty well, right? Stetson had the interception I guess in the first series and first time he was in. Then Stetson got other opportunities to play after that and he’s done a tremendous job.

“I’m not going to overthink it with Stetson. We’re trying to go game by game to get him better. I’m so proud of what he’s been through. For a young man that was a 3 coming out of spring. A 3 going into fall camp, a 3 coming out of fall camp. What does it say about his character that he stuck around and he kept working to get better? That’s what you’re supposed to do in life — overcome hurdles and obstacles — and he’s done that. As far as forecasting him as a quarterback and winning, we’re worried about Charleston Southern right now.”

With 2 regular season games remaining — against Charleston Southern and Georgia Tech — it seems Bennett will remain the guy in Athens. Can he lead the Dawgs to an SEC title and College Football Playoff glory?

Adam Spencer

Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.