“Stetson Bennett is the best quarterback in the State of Georgia that everyone hasn't heard of,” says Tommy Palmer, TV and radio sports broadcaster, and part of the GPB Sports family.

That quote pretty much tells you everything you need to know about Stetson Bennett IV out of Blackshear, Georgia, home of the Pierce County Bears.

Or you can call him the “Mail Man,” a nickname he goes by because of a US Postal service hat he wore to a QB competition. Or you can simply call him “Stet” as his dad calls him… but whatever you call him, just know that he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the state.

Allow me to go into a little more detail for this week’s “Year of the Quarterbacks,” series with Stetson Bennett IV.

As we talked for the interview, he was on his way to a football camp at Auburn University. “I’m sorry to hear that,” I told him, jokingly.  

Playing football in college is on the to-do list… he’s just not sure where, yet. But here’s his list of schools that have extended their offers: Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Mercer, Middle Tennessee State, Georgia Southern and Coastal Carolina... P.S. he has a 4.0.

Not much of a talker… (it was about 9:00 am on Friday morning after all), the quarterback stayed modest throughout the interview. In 2014, he led the Bears to the farthest place they’d ever been in school history: the third round of the GHSA playoffs. But he remained humble about it. Answering mostly in “yes ma’am and no ma’am.”

However, this past season wasn’t as exciting with the Bears losing 47-0 to Cedar Grove in the first round of the playoffs. 

“What happened against Cedar Grove?” I asked him. 

“We drove it up and down the field the first two or three drives, then the wheels kinda fell off. It wasn’t good,” he says. 

But he says there wasn’t any pressure to get back to where they left off from the previous year. His approach to every game, every year, never wavers. 

“I just try to win every game about the same. I didn’t feel any pressure,” he added.

STATS PLEASE…

  • During his sophomore season, Stetson threw for 2,400 yards and 29 total touchdowns.

  • This past season (his junior year), the offense averaged over 40 points a game. He threw for 2,900 yards and 24 touchdowns. In addition to that, he rushed for 12 TDs and 630 yards.

However, the most impressive stats to me are the ones you can’t quantify. For example, the biggest thing that stands out to me when watching his film, is that he looks like he’s simply having fun- football in its purest form. 

He has an insanely quick release and gets the ball out just in time. If the passing play isn’t there, he takes control and runs with power, finding the holes in no time. He can turn a 2-yard gain into a scoring play in seconds. Perhaps it’s because of his size, (6’0’’, 175 pounds) but most likely, it’s because of his incredible athleticism.

Don’t believe me? Take a look…

We’ve seen quarterbacks who can run and throw, sure. But his rollouts are also not to be overlooked. He plays with so much boldness and power, but he’s modest and polite. 

No, he’s not your average 6’5’’ pro-style quarterback, but he competes among the best of them and is just as good, if not better than your traditional pocket passer.

He will quickly attribute his success to others, though, again always staying modest. 

“My offensive line does a good job. I’m not running around too much unless I want too,” he says. “They did a great job last year. They always protect me, so I’m always leaning on them.”

And then there are the receivers who are constantly in the right place at the right time…

“My wide receivers make everything so easy, they catch everything,” he says. And the running backs? “They weren’t the biggest… but the toughest dudes I’ve ever met. If you’ve got a good run game, you’ve got a good pass game,” he adds. 

He’s a triple athlete, at minimum. Playing baseball in the spring and running track, he stays conditioned and competitive. Well, hold on. Let me back up. He ran track twice, giving it a shot on the advice of his coach, he came in third in the region. Then it was off to a baseball game in the same afternoon. NBD.

Aside from team sports, he also has participated in football camps and competitions outside of Georgia.

So, there’s not a whole lot he can’t do. 

Can we also mention how cool his name is? Stetson Bennett IV. Just a side note.

Since we started on a Tommy Palmer note... let’s end on one:

He says, “You cannot mention the top quarterbacks in the state and not mention Stetson Bennett IV.” 

So. Think on that, folks.