Kirby Smart talks Stetson Bennett’s improvement, offers update on RB Kendall Milton
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Coming off of a national championship season in 2021, Georgia will gets tested right out of the gates in its title defense, as it faces No. 11 (AP) Oregon on Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game.
One player the Bulldogs are expecting big things from in 2022 is junior running back Kendall Milton.
The 6-1, 220-pound junior from Fresno, California, has been battling a hamstring issue, but Georgia coach Kirby Smart had a positive update on his status during Wednesdays SEC coaches teleconference.
“Yeah, he’s done a great job bouncing back from it. … Soft tissue injury is tough to control and monitor,” Smart said. “… He was still able to do things. … The full-speed reps is what he missed a little bit of, but he’s been able to do that the past week or so. … I’m looking forward to him being a big part of things.”
One player who everybody expects big things from this season is Stetson Bennett, who returns at quarterback after passing for nearly 2,900 yards and 29 touchdowns a year ago.
And according to Smart, Bennett has gotten even better during the offseason.
“He’s gotten more reps, more work,” said Smart of his senior quarterback. “The learning curve for most guys might plateau at the age and experience level of Stetson, but he didn’t have the experiences of a traditional quarterback. … He’s had a lot of reps in different roles and he’s embraced those. This last go-round, he’s gotten a lot of quality reps and a lot more against the 1 defense.”
Kickoff for Saturday’s meting between the No. 3 Bulldogs and the Ducks is set for 3:30 p.m. (ET). The game will be televised by ABC.
"Chris Wallace covers college football for Saturday Down South. He has covered college athletics for multiple newspapers and also worked previously for Rivals.com and GolfChannel.com."
