Kirby Smart reflects on Stetson Bennett’s decision to return, new expectations
By Keith Farner
Published:
Kirby Smart shared on Tuesday that the decision for Stetson Bennett to return to Georgia came down to a couple of conversations in passing, and learning about what Bennett’s goals were moving forward.
“He reached out a couple of times and said he really wanted to come back, and wanted to continue to get better,” Smart said. “There wasn’t a lot there, there wasn’t a lot of questions and things. It was more like he feels like that he’s grown as a quarterback. We showed a lot of confidence in Stetson, if you didn’t notice. He answered that with the way he played. I think he’d be the first to tell you, he can still grow and get better. We have high expectations for Stetson, but we also have high standards for what we expect Stetson to do. In terms of leading our offense, in terms of going to class, in terms of doing the right things, and we’re still challenging him to do those things.”
Since the narrative last season was mostly around if Bennett would keep the starting job amid injuries to JT Daniels, and now that Daniels has entered the transfer portal, Bennett’s standing among fans and media is different this year.
Bennett’s unique decision to return for a post-national championship season will be an interesting one to watch.
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
