ATHENS -- Jake Fromm and D.J. Shockley understand Stetson Bennett in a way few others can, and they are obviously pulling for their fellow Georgia quarterback alum.
Bennett quarterbacked UGA football to a second consecutive CFP Championship last season, raising his NFL Draft stock along the way. The 25-year-old Heisman Trophy finalist was one of 12 departing Bulldogs invited to the NFL combine, where he’s expected to attend some 2 1/2 weeks from now.
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It’s fair to say Bennett has his work cut out for him, as NFL teams have questions about his size, arm talent, and now judgment after his untimely arrest on public intoxication charges two weeks ago in Dallas.
SEC Network star Paul Finebaum openly questioned Bennett’s decision not to compete in the Senior Bowl that same week, leading to more speculation that his stock has taken a significant hit.
“I hate to see what’s happening to him now because he’s really a great kid,” said Shockley, who like Fromm and Bennett once quarterbacked Georgia to an SEC Championship game victory, beating LSU 34-13 in 2005.
“Obviously what he’s done the last couple years has been big for the entire university. I wish him nothing but the best, and I hope this is something he gets past and something that doesn’t happen again.”
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Fromm , who came to UGA the same time as Bennett, remains close to the former walk-on after helping him along in 2017, and again in 2019 after Bennett returned from his transfer to Jones (Miss.) Junior College to provide some depth at the position.
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“This is kind of a tough one for me, because Stet is one of my close friends,” Fromm said, asked his thoughts on Bennett’s recent trend.
“It’s not a great look for him going into the draft process, (because) this is a time where teams and personnel look and analyze everything,” Fromm said on DawgNation Daily last week.
“I would love to see him handle things a little bit different and be a little bit better than that … I would love to see him ace this thing (NFL combine) and go after it hard.”
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Fromm, now with the Washington Commanders after originally being picked by the Buffalo Bills in the fifth round of the 2020 draft, pointed out NFL teams should know Bennett’s CFP track record is unprecedented.
Bennett was named the offensive MVP of two CFP Championship Games, proving to have a knack for clutch performances.
But just as Kirby Smart evaluates and projects recruits on their future and potential at the next level, so, too, do NFL teams.
Contrary to the popular but misguided narrative, Bennett has always carried confidence in himself and does not see himself as an underdog.
But Bennett seemed to indicate at the team’s championship celebration that he harbored resentment toward those who doubted the team.
Man, y’all burned us, y’all kept telling us how bad we were,” Bennett said before the crowd at Sanford Stadium last month. “And we kept winning, And kept embarrassing people …. Screw it, we got two rings.”
WATCH: Stetson Bennett speech draws strong reaction from Georgia fans
Bennett seemingly doubled down on his own coaches who at times doubted him — UGA pursued Caleb Williams in the transfer portal after the 2021 championship season — when Shockley asked him if he had any parting words.
“It ain’t the Xs and Os,” Bennett said, “it’s the Jimmys and Joes.”
Shockley admitted that was not the message he expected when he gave Bennett a second chance at addressing the crowd.
“I’ll be honest, I was surprised, I thought it was an opportunity for him to say thank you to the fans and I wanted him to have that moment,” said Shockley, who in addition to his national and local TV duties stays in tune with the team by doing sideline reporting for the Georgia Bulldogs radio network.
“Obviously, Stetson Bennett thought it all has heard all the naysayers and had people talk about him,” he said, “and in that moment, it all kind of built up for him, and having that stage he said what was on his mind.”
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There’s a lot of pressure that comes from representing an entire state, as Bennett has done the past two seasons as the University of Georgia quarterback.
Fromm and Shockley, like Bennett home-grown stars from the state of Georgia, carry that weight, too, and are hoping the latest in a long line of UGA football icons will soon be back on track.
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