Stetson Bennett Bio
Stetson Fleming Bennett IV is an American professional football quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League. Nicknamed “The Mailman,” Bennett first rose to national attention as a college quarterback at the University of Georgia, where he led the Bulldogs to consecutive College Football Playoff national championships in 2021 and 2022. Selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the 2023 NFL Draft, he remains one of the most compelling stories in modern football because of his path from a walk-on with limited recruiting interest to a back-to-back national champion.
Early Life and Background
Stetson Fleming Bennett IV was born on October 28, 1997, in Atlanta, Georgia, and grew up in a family with deep football roots. In first grade, his family relocated from Atlanta to Nahunta, Georgia. He moved again in eighth grade, this time to Blackshear, Georgia, where he attended Pierce County High School. Bennett comes from a line of quarterbacks, including his grandfather Buddy Bennett, who played quarterback for the South Carolina Gamecocks from 1958 to 1960 and later became a coach.
His parents, Denise and Stetson Bennett III, met while attending the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy, and football has been a part of family life for generations. As a senior at Pierce County High School, Bennett led the school to three consecutive state playoff appearances, finishing that final season with 3,724 passing yards, 500 rushing yards, and 40 total touchdowns. Despite those numbers, he was rated a two-star recruit and drew only one FBS scholarship offer, from Middle Tennessee State, because coaches viewed him as too short and too light at 5 feet 9.5 inches and 185 pounds.
Path to American Football
Bennett originally signed with the University of Georgia as a walk-on in 2017, choosing the Bulldogs despite the lack of a scholarship offer. He did not take a snap during his freshman season, and when five-star recruit Justin Fields committed to Georgia in 2018, Bennett decided to transfer. He landed at Jones College, a junior college program in Mississippi, where he played in 12 games and threw for 1,840 yards and 16 touchdowns in his sophomore season, earning three-star prospect status.
After his year at Jones College, Bennett was preparing to join the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns, but the situation at Georgia changed when Fields transferred to Ohio State. The Bulldogs offered Bennett a scholarship, and he returned to Athens as the second-string quarterback behind Jake Fromm. He also returned to Georgia in part because of his deep family ties to the program through his parents, and he quickly began rebuilding his role within a crowded quarterback room.
Stetson Bennett Career
Early Career (2017–2020)
Bennett’s first stint at Georgia was brief, as he spent 2017 on the scout team without seeing the field. After his year at Jones College, he returned to Georgia in 2019 and served as Jake Fromm’s backup, completing the season with two passing touchdowns, one interception, and one rushing touchdown. His most visible moment came in the Southeastern Conference Championship Game, where he stepped in after Fromm was injured.
The 2020 season was turbulent. Bennett started the year as a backup to D’Wan Mathis, briefly took over the starting job, and later yielded it to USC transfer JT Daniels. He appeared in eight games, playing significant snaps in six, and finished with 1,179 passing yards, eight passing touchdowns, six interceptions, and two rushing touchdowns. By the end of the season, he had earned a reputation for perseverance through an unusually crowded quarterback rotation.
Georgia Breakthrough (2021–2022)
Heading into 2021, Bennett began as the backup to JT Daniels, but he took over the starting job after Daniels suffered an oblique injury. His first start came against the UAB Blazers, where he tied the Georgia record for touchdowns in a game with five. He held onto the starting role the rest of the way, leading the Bulldogs to a 12–0 regular season and finishing the year with 29 passing touchdowns and seven interceptions.
After a 41–24 loss to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game, Bennett faced heavy criticism and questions about whether JT Daniels should start the College Football Playoff. He answered the doubters by leading Georgia past Michigan in the Orange Bowl, throwing for 313 yards and three touchdowns. In the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship, he passed for 224 yards and two touchdowns in a 33–18 win over Alabama, delivering Georgia’s first national title since 1980.
On January 20, 2022, Bennett announced his return to Georgia for a sixth-year senior season and was named a Heisman Trophy candidate. He led the Bulldogs to a 13–0 record, including an SEC Championship, and threw for four touchdowns and 274 yards in a 50–30 win over LSU, earning game MVP honors. He finished the year with 3,425 passing yards, 20 passing touchdowns, six interceptions, and seven rushing touchdowns, and placed fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting.
In the College Football Playoff, Bennett guided Georgia past Ohio State 42–41 in the Peach Bowl and then dismantled TCU 65–7 in the 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship. He was named the offensive MVP after combining for six total touchdowns, tying Joe Burrow’s record for the most total touchdowns in a College Football Playoff National Championship Game. Bennett closed the season with 4,127 passing yards, surpassing Aaron Murray’s program record set in 2012.
Los Angeles Rams Era (2023–Present)
Bennett entered the NFL when the Los Angeles Rams selected him in the fourth round, 128th overall, of the 2023 NFL Draft. His rookie season was interrupted when he was placed on the reserve/non-football illness list on September 13, 2023. Since then, he has continued to develop within the Rams organization, working to translate his college success into a long-term professional role.
Notable Events and Milestones
Bennett’s most defining stretch came during the 2021 and 2022 College Football Playoffs, when he quarterbacked Georgia to back-to-back national championships. He joined an exclusive group of quarterbacks, alongside A. J. McCarron, Tommie Frazier, and Steve Davis, to win consecutive NCAA national titles. He also earned the Manning Award and the Burlsworth Trophy in 2022, was named a Second-team All-SEC selection, and was a Heisman Trophy finalist.
Stetson Bennett Family
Family Background and Football Lineage
Stetson Fleming Bennett IV is the son of Denise Bennett and Stetson Bennett III. His grandfather, Buddy Bennett, played quarterback for the South Carolina Gamecocks from 1958 to 1960 and later became a coach. Football has therefore been a constant presence in his family, and his parents’ ties to the University of Georgia helped shape his decision to return to the Bulldogs after his time at Jones College.
Personal Life
On January 28, 2023, Bennett was arrested in Dallas, Texas, on public intoxication charges after reportedly banging on doors in a residential area at 6 a.m. The incident drew public attention, and Bennett has largely kept other personal details private as he has focused on his football career.
2025 Season Performance
Stetson Bennett enters the 2025 season still developing within the Los Angeles Rams quarterback room, working to establish himself as a long-term NFL option. The Rams invested a fourth-round pick in him during the 2023 NFL Draft, and the organization has continued to give him time to refine his game at the professional level.
His role in 2025 is expected to build on his recovery from a reserve/non-football illness list placement late in his rookie year. With his college résumé of 4,127 passing yards, 20 passing touchdowns, and seven rushing touchdowns in his final season at Georgia, Bennett has the production to compete for a larger role if he can stay healthy.
Throughout the 2025 campaign, Bennett’s progress will likely be measured by his ability to apply the lessons from consecutive national championships to the speed and complexity of the NFL. His experience leading high-pressure games in the SEC and the College Football Playoff remains his strongest selling point as he pushes for a more prominent place on the Rams’ depth chart.