January 20, 2022
680 THE FAN, ATLANTA – There are not many places that can boast about not wanting to have their national title winning quarterback return. But for some of the Georgia fan base, that’s the feeling. 

First off, you just won a national title. The first one in over 41 years. 

You won that game in large part because of the guy who was named offensive player of the game in both College Football Playoff games. That is quarterback Stetson Bennett IV. 

What are we doing? The guy wants to play football. He just helped you win the national title. If he wants to come back, he should be welcomed back. 

But for real, calm down. You haven’t even gotten to spring practice yet. There’s no guarantees that he’s even going to be the starter next season. He has every right to be the starter, but it’s not guaranteed. 

Have we not seen Kirby Smart move off his incumbent starter in the past? He did so in 2017, when he plugged in Jake Fromm for the injured Jacob Eason. He did the same this year, by plugging in Bennett over J.T. Daniels. 

I guess what I’m really trying to say, is Kirby Smart isn’t going to start Stetson Bennett to just spite the fan base. He’s going to play the best quarterback. 

If the best quarterback is Brock Vandagriff, he’ll start. If it is Gunner Stockton, he’ll start. If Carson Beck stays, he could start. Might a transfer come in? All the options are on the table. 

Stetson Bennett earned the right to come back to play at Georgia. When you needed him the most, he stepped up for this program. 

Tons of credit needs to go to Stetson for how he handled himself this season. He took the slings/arrows and just stuck to his job. For the most part, he kept his mouth shut about the criticism and played ball. That needs to be applauded as a lesson for kids. 

Is your fear with Stetson Bennett coming back, thinking this means they won’t repeat as national champs in 2022? If Georgia doesn’t repeat as champs, it won’t be because Stetson was on the field. It’ll be because this team had to replace a lot of very good talent. 

Besides, I think the Bulldogs fan base owes a little trust to Kirby Smart on handling the position. He obviously made the right choice this season. 

UGA fans… Let things play out. Trust me, the sky isn’t falling because number 13 is back. 

Dan Mathews
Chuck Oliver Show – Anchor/Fill-In Host 
WCNN-AM 680 The Fan, also on FM at 93.7