Georgia Football QB Stetson Bennett among Heisman Trophy finalists

Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Stetson Bennett was among the four finalists for the Heisman Trophy named on Monday night.

Bennett had been a bit under the radar as a Heisman candidate and perhaps a mild surprise to be one of the top four vote-getters for no reason other than that his statistics don’t jump off the page.

"I don’t even know what to think right now," Bennett said. "We have a lot of good players who make me look good. It’s special. This honor is all about my teammates and this team. I wouldn’t be here if we didn’t have the team that we have. This honor is for them."

Bennett, a sixth-year player from Blackshear, Georgia, does know how to win, though. He has quarterbacked the defending national champion Bulldogs to a second straight spot in the College Football Playoff and is 24-1 as a starter since last season.

Bennett was the most valuable player of the Southeastern Conference championship game after throwing for 274 yards and four touchdowns in a 50-30 win over LSU that ran the Bulldogs’ record to 13-0.

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Of Georgia’s three all-time wins over a No. 1-ranked team, Bennett was quarterback for two of them. He was at the controls for the Bulldogs’ win over Alabama in the national championship game last January, and he passed for two TDs and ran for another in a 27-13 win over Tennessee last month.

"I understand what Coach (Kirby) Smart means when he says that success comes to those who don’t look for it or are too busy working to look for it," Bennett said. "I have never thought about the Heisman. I just wanted to play quarterback at Georgia. I just wanted to play football. I’m thinking of the players and people who have been in this with me. Regardless of who wins, it’s a huge honor to be in this group."

Georgia Bulldogs Quarterback Stetson Bennett (13) holds up the SEC Championship Player of the game trophy after the SEC Championship game between the LSU Tigers and the Georgia Bulldogs on December 03, 2022, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA. (

Max Duggan of TCU, C.J. Stroud of Ohio State and Caleb Williams of Southern California rounded out the finalists

The award given to the outstanding player in college football, determined by a vote of more than 900 sports journalists and past winners, will be presented Saturday at the Lincoln Center in New York.

Two Georgia players have won a Heisman Trophy in its 86-year history, Frank Sinkwich in 1942 and Herschel Walker in 1982.

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Also announced on Monday, Bennett was named the recipient of the 2022 Burlsworth Trophy, which is awarded annually to the most outstanding college player who began his career as a walk-on.

Bennett beat out Troy senior linebacker Carlton Martial and Purdue senior quarterback Aidan O’Connell during a ceremony at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Arkansas.

The trophy is named in honor of Brandon Burlsworth, who walked on at Arkansas in 1994 and eventually became a three-year starter and an All-American. He was selected by Indianapolis in the 1999 NFL Draft, but was tragically killed in a car accident 11 days later. The Burlsworth Foundation was created in his memory to support the physical and spiritual needs of children, in particular those who have limited opportunities.

Bennett will lead the undefeated Bulldogs during the College Football Playoffs semifinals on Dec. 31. No. 1 Georgia will take on No. 4 Ohio State in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in Atlanta.

The Associated Press contributed to this report