Stetson Bennett and JT Daniels make football return in same time period, different capacity

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart gave an update on Bennett at an event in Macon, Georgia on Monday.

“Stetson is doing well," Smart said. "He went back to Dallas where he trained last year. He trained with Patrick Mahomes’ trainers and different people there. He wanted to go back to that same footprint where he was training previously.”

Bennett was last with the Rams in the preseason, going 30-for-62 passing with 307 yards, 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions over those appearances.

“The Rams still have him there (in Dallas), they have gotten other quarterbacks, but He’s hopeful that he gets an opportunity there or that he’ll get picked up by somebody else,” Smart continued. “He’s been at our place during the season and he went out to Dallas to train with the other rising draft picks. So he trained with a group that was one year below him.”

JT Daniels career timeline

2018: Early enrollment at USC

2020-21: Transfer to Georgia

2022: Transfer to WVU

2022: Transfer to Rice

2023: Medical retirement 

Daniels was the No. 2 pro-style quarterback in his class behind just Trevor Lawrence, breaking multiple records at Mater Dei. He graduated a full year early, becoming just the second true freshman quarterback in USC history to start for the Trojans (Matt Barkley, 2009) in a season opener.

He started 11 games, missing the contest against Arizona State after suffering a concussion in the previous week against Utah. Daniels finished the 2018 season with just under a 60% completion rate, passing for 2,672 yards with 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

The 2019 season came to a quick halt for Daniels when he tore his ACL in the opener versus Fresno State, completing 25 of 34 passes for 215 yards before the injury.

Daniels transferred to Georgia for the 2020 season, going 4-0 as a starter in the last four games of the year. He completed 80 of 119 passes for 1,231 yards and 10 touchdowns. 

The following year would be his last at Georgia, plagued with injury issues that played a role in the team handing the reins over to Bennett. Daniels was starting quarterback in three of 14 games, seeing the field in six total games.

He transferred to West Virginia in the summer of 2022, throwing for 2,107 yards and 13 touchdowns over 10 games before he was benched for Garrett Greene, a far more mobile quarterback who simply fit the Mountaineers' offensive scheme more suitably.

Daniels found his final landing spot in Houston, Texas with the Rice Owls, transferring over that December. He started in eight games, playing in a total of nine as he was good for over 63% of his passes for 2,443 yards with 21 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.

He sustained a concussion against SMU on Nov. 4, marking the final game of his six-year career in which he passed for 9,390 total yards and 66 touchdowns. He medically retired on Dec. 1, 2023.

Stetson Bennett career timeline

2017: Georgia (first stint as a walk-on)

2018: Transfer to Jones Community College

2019 - 2022: Return to Georgia

2023: Selected by Los Angeles Rams in 2023 NFL Draft

Bennett could be considered one of the greatest and most inspiring stories in college football over recent history, going from a walk-on to a two-time national champion, despite the fact he's been polarizing as an NFL prospect.

Bennett's college career began when he joined the Bulldogs as a walk-on in 2017, passing up his lone FBS scholarship offer from Middle Tennessee. He found himself behind Jake Fromm and Justin Fields on the depth chart without taking a snap during his freshman season and would depart from Athens to Jones Community College in Ellisville, Mississippi.

He passed for 1,840 yards and 16 touchdowns in a single season, returning to Georgia in 2019 with more experience under his belt.

Bennett served as the backup to Fromm, completing 20 of 27 passes for 260 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in 2019. Highly touted transfer Jamie Newman was expected to do big things for the Bulldogs in 2020, but opted out of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

D'Wan Mathis opened the season as the starter instead, with Bennett behind him. Mathis performed poorly, and Bennett broke onto the scene as the starter for five games before being overtaken by Daniels.

Bennett had completed 55.5% of his passes for 1,179 yards with 8 touchdowns and 6 interceptions.

Largely due to injuries to Daniels, Bennett was named the starter once more in 2021, passing for 2,862 yards with 29 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also rushed for 259 yards with 1 touchdown on the ground. The decision to keep Bennett off the bench once it appeared Daniels was ready to go was a point of controversy as some argued the Bulldogs won the national championship that season in spite of some notable mistakes by Bennett en route to the 33-18 victory over Alabama.

Bennett fixed his decision-making errors and silenced his doubters as his stock rose, completing 68.3% of his passes for 4,128 yards with 27 touchdowns (10 rushing) and 7 interceptions.

He finished fourth in the race for the Heisman Trophy, leading the Dawgs to a 15-0 record and a 65-7 win over TCU in the national title game.

Bennett was selected by the Rams in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft with the No. 128 overall pick, but missed the entirety of his rookie season due to undisclosed personal reasons.

Whether or not his career will continue long-term in Los Angeles remains to be seen, but there's no question Bennett has proven he has the skillset and track record to be at least a viable backup quarterback in the NFL.