Back-To-Back

What else can you say about Bennett,
the 5-11, 190-pounder out of Blackshear
in Pierce County who defied all the odds
to pass and run the Bulldogs to the
back-to-back natty crowns and records
of 14-1 and that unblemished 15-0 mark
this past season? Back in the fall of 2017
when Bennett, as a walk-on to Georgia
was running the scout team offense,
what would you have said if someone
had predicted this kid is going to become
the best quarterback in UGA’s history
and lead us to consecutive national
championships? Absolutely no one could
have imagined such a scenario, that is,
except maybe Stetson himself!
All the Mailman did in the 2022
campaign was pass for a new UGA singleseason
yardage record with 4,127 yards
and 27 touchdowns and run for 205 net
yards and 10 more touchdowns. Bennett’s
total yards passing broke the school
record of 3,893 yards set by Aaron Murray
in the 2012 season, with Murray playing
one less game than Bennett.
Bennett, who posted a 29-3 win-loss record
as the Bulldogs’ starting quarterback, also set
a new season accuracy standard, his 68.28
completion percentage mark toppling the
previous program record of 67.87 set by
Hutson Mason in 2014. Bennett, of course,
was one of the four finalists for the Heisman
Trophy and won the Burlsworth Trophy,
awarded to the best player nationally that
began his career as a walk-on. Bennett was
named MVP in all four CFP games he played
in over the past two years, including the two
national championship wins. In the 65-7
romp over TCU on Jan. 9 in Los Angeles,
Bennett accounted for six of Georgia’s
touchdowns … four passing and two
running.
He also was selected as the winner of the
2022 Manning Award, presented by the
Allstate Sugar Bowl to the top quarterback
in the nation.
McClendon, the 6-4, 300-pound junior
tackle from Brunswick High School, the
nephew of Willie McClendon and cousin
of former UGA player and now receivers
coach Bryan McClendon, was named
to the 2022 Coaches All-SEC first team
and was regarded by many as the most
technically-correct offensive lineman on
the team. He started Georgia’s first 13
games this season at right tackle before
being injured in the SEC title win over LSU.
That, after starting all 15 games for the
2021 Bulldog national champions. In the
2020 season McClendon was named to
the Freshman All-America team.
Jack Podlesny, who didn’t even consider
playing college football until his senior
year at Glynn Academy in Brunswick,
came to Georgia as a walk-on after first
being offered in the same role by the
University of Michigan. The St. Simons
Island native quickly developed into one
of the program’s all-time place-kickers,
being named to the Associated Press and
Coaches’ All-SEC teams this past season as
well as the SEC’s Special Teams Player of
the Year. “Pod” was true on 26 of 31 field
goal attempts and 73 of 74 PAT kicks in the
2022 campaign. Also handling the kickoff
assignment, Podlesny sent 73 of his kicks
into the end zone for touchbacks. He was
one of 30 kickers named to the preseason
watch list for the Lou Groza Award, which
goes annually to the nation’s top kicker
and was won by his Bulldog predecessor,
Rodrigo Blankenship, in 2019.
Last but by no means least of the
“Big Four” from the 912 area is outside
linebacker Nolan Smith, who hails from
Savannah while playing his high school
ball at IMG in Florida. Although the 6-3,
235-pound Smith played in only eight
games due to an injury in the Florida
game, he was undoubtedly headed for
murray
All-America honors at his position before
the Bulldogs’ 42-20 win over the Gators
marked the end of his season. Smith had
recorded 18 total tackles and a team-high
16 quarterback hurries up until then. Smith,
who started 14 of 15 games for the 2021
champions and notched 56 tackles with 9.0
for loss and 3.5 sacks, was named Second
Team preseason All-America by Athlon and
was on the watch list for both the Outland
Trophy and Bronko Nagurski Trophy.
But don’t think Nolan Smith took a
lesser role with the team after his injury
in Jacksonville. He practically became one
of the Bulldogs’ coaches, spending each
of the seven remaining games on the
sidelines giving pointers to his defensive
teammates, shouting encouragement and
generally keeping the entire team fired up
and motivated through the Dawgs’ end of
the season and playoff run.
While Bennett, McClendon, Podlesny
and Smith are all now headed for the NFL
Draft, another 912- area guy, defensive
lineman Warren Brinson, is set to return as
Georgia chases a 3-peat national crown in
2023. And the 6-4, 305-pound junior, who like
Smith is from Savannah and played at IMG,
should be a key cog in the Bulldogs’ defense
this coming fall. This past season Brinson
played in all 15 games while notching 12
tackles and 14 quarterback hurries.
And showing promise for the coming
seasons in Athens are two more southeast
Georgia products, redshirt freshman
offensive guard Micah Morris from
Camden County and freshman outside
linebacker Darris Smith, from Baxley in
Appling County.
Yes, 912 area code football fans, now
Kirby Smart and all of the head coaches in
the Deep South and elsewhere will always
have your bottom right hand corner of the
state high on their prospects shopping list.
Go Dawgs and the 912!
JACK PODLESNY
PHOTO BY: GREG POOLE
NOLAN SMITH
PHOTO BY: GREG POOLE
BULLDAWGILLUSTRATED
125 2022 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS EDITION