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STETSON BENNETT WAS — shall we say — not himself when he sat down for an interview with “Good Morning America” just hours after beating Alabama and winning the national championship a year ago. The conquering hero of Georgia football, who was the game’s MVP and led the program to its first title in 41 years, looked to be on the verge of falling asleep as Michael Strahan introduced him to a national television audience.

Bennett said he’d gotten little rest, so maybe that was the reason for his disheveled appearance. Or maybe it was the price of that long pull of Pappy Van Winkle from the night before. Whatever the case, he spoke to GMA about betting on himself as a former walk-on and how he’d learned about perseverance during the course of his college career.

But with a year of eligibility left, his time in college wasn’t necessarily over. Asked what his future held, Bennett said, “I’m going to play football next year. We’ll see where. We’ll see if I can trust the decisions made by the staff.”

It was an eye-opening moment, hearing a title-winning quarterback question his team’s commitment to him. But a year later, Georgia offensive coordinator Todd Monken can laugh about it. “Although he was drunk,” he said, “he was right in a lot of ways.”

Monken put himself in Bennett’s shoes back then, wondering whether former blue-chip prospect JT Daniels would return from injury or whether another quarterback would emerge and supplant him in the starting lineup. It had been a hotly debated question whether Bennett should play throughout the team’s postseason run. Was that finally over? Would the staff still have confidence in him next season?

“His heart was always to come back,” Monken said. “But it was just a matter of, ‘All right, if I do all this and come back, am I going to be the guy?’ Which makes a lot of sense.”

No one is wondering whether Bennett is “the guy” for Georgia anymore. As Monken said, he’s been even better this season, guiding the Bulldogs to an undefeated regular season, an SEC championship and the No. 1 seed in the playoff. On a decidedly not pass-happy team, Bennett has thrown for the ninth-most yards in the FBS (3,823) with 23 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. He’s also rushed for eight touchdowns and finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting. On Monday, he’ll lead Georgia against TCU in the College Football Playoff National Championship presented by AT&T in Los Angeles (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).

But the essential question about his future remains: What’s next? Now that he’s one game away from being out of NCAA eligibility, is his next step the NFL? In the GMA interview, he spoke about his interest in going to law school. But he said he had plenty of time for that.

Recent interviews make it clear Bennett isn’t ready to give up football. But is football ready to give up on him?


EVERYONE CAN APPRECIATE the Stetson Bennett story. It’s as close to a true underdog tale as you’ll find in modern college football. For a former walk-on to reach the heights he has is incredible.

“Because you’re not given the benefit of the doubt,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “You have to earn it. You have to beat guys out. We as coaches did everything we could to not give him the opportunity, but he kept banging away at the door and he was very persistent.”

But it’s been six years since Bennett paid his own way at Georgia and four years since he kicked down the door by coming back on scholarship, and the world won’t let him forget his humble beginnings. He’s become a starter, won a national championship and even been a Heisman Trophy finalist, and still he can’t shake the walk-on label.

“He has heart, the heart of a lion, just knowing all the adversity, all the criticism he has faced since he has been here,” Bulldogs receiver Kearis Jackson said. “I don’t understand why people don’t want to respect him yet, just look what he did. He led us to a national championship, led us to an SEC championship, led us to a Peach Bowl win this last weekend, now leading us to another national championship. When is going to be the point when people are going to start giving him his respect?”

Bennett’s height is part of the problem. At 5-foot-11(ish), he doesn’t fit the mold of a Tom Brady or a Peyton Manning.

Never mind his arm strength and accuracy. Never mind his athleticism and intelligence. Never mind all the yards, touchdowns and wins he’s amassed over the years. There’s a ceiling when it comes to how much people are willing to believe in him. It happens the moment he’s anything less than perfect.

Take the Peach Bowl a week and a half ago. For three quarters, Bennett wasn’t himself. His aim was off and he threw only his seventh interception of the season as Georgia fell behind against Ohio State. Inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, you could feel a sense of doubt sweep through the stands. Online, the I-told-you-so crowd fired off their snarky tweets.

Trailing by 14 points with the third quarter about to end, Bennett started firing back. He got the ball rolling with a 12-play, 62-yard drive that ended in a field goal. And then, on the first play from scrimmage after an Ohio State punt, he hit a wide-open Arian Smith for a 76-yard touchdown before converting the 2-point attempt with a pass to Ladd McConkey.

Down 6 with one final possession remaining, Bennett spoke up in the huddle. They hadn’t played their best. “But we’re here now,” he said. “It’s in our hands.” The defense did its part, he said, then asked, “Where else would you rather be?”

After a short gain to Kenny McIntosh, Bennett took the snap and surveyed the field. Ohio State defensive lineman Zach Harrison beat the right tackle off the edge and was closing in fast. But just as Harrison swung at Bennett from behind, Bennett dropped his arm angle and zipped a sidearm pass to tight end Brock Bowers over the middle, fitting the ball in perfectly between the linebacker and safety for a gain of 15 yards.

It was an Aaron Rodgers-esque throw, which is no wonder considering Bennett studies the Green Bay Packers quarterback on YouTube.

Three plays later, Bennett found Adonai Mitchell in the end zone for the game-winning touchdown.

Against Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud — a prospective top-10 pick — Bennett more than held his own. Technically speaking, he threw for more yards (398 to 348).

Buckeyes defensive coordinator Jim Knowles was asked earlier in the week whether he saw a walk-on quarterback when he studied Georgia’s games. He was emphatic: “No, I don’t.”

“I haven’t thought about it once until you just brought it up,” he said. “You look at what a guy does — just look at the tape. The guy, he does a great job, you know, at handling all aspects of the game. One of the few guys in college football that can effectively make all those decisions on the field.”

Knowles said Bennett runs an offense that’s more pro-style than some pro teams.

“He has the mental capacity and he can make all the plays,” he said.

Knowles brought up a linebacker he once coached, Malcolm Rodriguez. The former Oklahoma State Cowboy was only 6-feet tall, so despite being an All-American with 408 career tackles, he fell to the sixth round of the NFL draft. And now he’s a key contributor for the Detroit Lions with 83 tackles this season.

“Stetson Bennett is the same kind of guy who’s gonna play wherever he goes, whoever takes a chance on him,” Knowles said.


CONSIDER THE LAST calendar year and all the future pro quarterbacks Bennett has watched from the opposing sideline. It’s not just Stroud’s Buckeyes that he found a way to beat. He did the same to Alabama and Bryce Young, Florida and Anthony Richardson, Tennessee and Hendon Hooker and Kentucky and Will Levis.

For those keeping track at home, that’s every one of Mel Kiper Jr.’s top-five quarterback prospects in the 2023 NFL draft. Nowhere to be seen on his or any other draft expert’s list is Bennett — granted he doesn’t have to play against the Georgia defense.

One NFL scout who saw Bennett in-person at the Florida-Georgia game said it was no contest. He’d take Bennett over Richardson. But another scout was less bullish. “He’s an athletic kid,” the scout said, “but he’s not built to last. He’s 5-foot-11 and 186 pounds. It’s just not big enough.”

Jim Nagy, a former scout with the Seattle Seahawks who now runs the Senior Bowl, thinks there’s a “self-fulling prophecy” when it comes to how Bennett is viewed in relation to the draft. Because everyone knows his story so well — the “Mailman” nickname and the fact he started out as a walk-on — it leads to a first impression that’s hard to shake.

“Most guys get embraced for that overachiever, underdog thing,” Nagy said, “and for some reason he hasn’t.”

Bennett’s arm strength is “above average” and “good enough to play at the next level,” according to Nagy. While he’d like to see more consistent ball placement, “he can run around and he can buy a second chance.”

“If you’re an NFL scout … if you put a franchise-level grade on Bryce Young and you put a free agent grade on Stetson Bennett, in my opinion you’ve really hurt your argument for Bryce Young,” Nagy said. “Because the size is a drawback on both of those players. Now Bryce has a stronger arm, no question about that. But from talking to those guys there, Stetson’s going to run [the 40-yard dash] in the 4.5’s, which is rolling for a quarterback. So the kid can legitimately run. He’s very efficient. Has full command of that offense. Could potentially win back-to-back national championships. So if one guy is a franchise quarterback and a top-five pick, this other guy at least you have to give a seventh-round grade.”

Nagy concedes Bennett doesn’t “look like” an NFL quarterback. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, there have been only three quarterbacks drafted since 2006 that measured shorter than 6 feet and less than 200 pounds: Michigan’s Denard Robinson, Appalachian State’s Armanti Edwards and Navy’s Malcolm Perry. All of them moved to receiver in the pros.

“But you put on the tape and you look at his actual football résumé, shoot, he deserves to get a chance,” Nagy said of Bennett, “and he will get a chance.”

Bennett’s 85.6 Total QBR ranks seventh in the FBS. Among the top 10, his 68.1 completion percentage trails only Hooker, who played in three fewer games.

Big picture, he’s 28-3 and trying to become the eighth starting quarterback in AP Poll history to win back-to-back national titles.

Smart believes Bennett has “earned” a shot at the NFL. If there’s one trait that will translate to the next level, he said, it’s Bennett’s ability to quickly process information.

“So much of the NFL game is what you can do pre-snap and what you can do post-snap,” he said. “He’ll be as good as anybody at the pre-snap. He just has to continue that into the post-snap.”

But if Bennett never truly gets the chance to start — if he’s drafted late and can do little more than hold a clipboard as a backup — how will he accept it? Some scouts wonder if that chip on his shoulder will be OK sitting on the bench.

“If he didn’t have that, he wouldn’t be who he is,” one scout said.


BENNETT IS COMFORTABLE talking about the past. He’ll tell you all about growing up in Blackshear — a small town in the middle of Nowhere, Georgia — and why none of the 120-plus FBS programs offered him a scholarship coming out of high school. He put up good numbers but was only second team all-state. Not only was he not a prized recruit, he said, “there was really no threat of me ever becoming one.” After one season at Georgia, five-star Justin Fields was brought in and it was clear Bennett didn’t figure into the competition. “Well, that’s all right,” Bennett decided. “You got your guy, but I’m out of here.”

So he went to a junior college in Mississippi and proved he could play, scoring 20 touchdowns and leading the school to an appearance in the MACJC conference championship game. The University of Louisiana was going to be his next stop, but Smart swooped in at the last minute with an offer to come back to Athens on scholarship. If that doesn’t happen, if Bennett goes to Lafayette or transfers somewhere else, does this college football fairytale ever come to fruition?

“Who knows?” Bennett said. “But that’s why it’s so cool, right? Like how can you have stories if you end up exactly where you wanted to go, right? Or with following the exact plan that you planned out, right? It’s life, man, and it’s a lot more interesting that way.”

Bennett has perspective, that’s for sure. It’s clear he’s thought a lot about his journey and what it all means. He said he used to make throws in practice and think to himself, “Man, there’s no way that’s not good.” But people kept telling him he wasn’t good. He said he’d look around and wonder, “Am I dumb?”

Monken confirmed last week that after Daniels aggravated an oblique injury against Clemson in the 2021 opener and couldn’t play against UAB the next week, coaches were ready to go with Carson Beck. But then Bennett outplayed Beck in practice that week — and it wasn’t close. “Stetson played his ass off,” Monken said.

Bennett played his rear off against the Blazers, too. He threw for 288 yards with five touchdowns in a 56-7 rout. Still, Georgia’s coaches went back to Daniels the next week. Bennett took over for good when Daniels was injured again during a 62-0 victory at Vanderbilt.

Bennett admitted last season he was playing not to get benched. He still wasn’t sure his coaches had his back. Maybe that’s why when Smart was asked about the obstacles Bennett had overcome in his career, he said, “He overcame us.”

This season, Bennett is more loose, more confident, more himself. He’s thrown for nearly 1,000 more yards and increased his completion percentage by 3.6 points. He said he’s no longer trying to prove anyone wrong. He stays in the moment, just trying to win football games.

But when he was asked about his future — Where do you see yourself in five years? — he paused for what felt like an eternity. Earnestly, he said, “I don’t know.”

“I want to be …” he said before sighing and cutting himself off for another moment of reflection. “I have no clue.”

But speaking of getting cut off …

“I will not be making the call to cut off my football career unless my leg gets cut off,” he said. “That will be somebody else’s call.”

Never mind the scouts. Does he believe he can play in the NFL?

“I’m not going to go over my résumé right now,” he said. “But, yeah, I do. I think I’ve got the skill set.”

Monken, who spent eight seasons as an assistant in the NFL, believes Bennett’s intelligence and knowledge of pro concepts would be an asset at the next level. Unlike some other backup quarterbacks, Monken said, Bennett could add value without taking reps.

Bennett, for his part, doesn’t see it the same way.

“I don’t think that would be my best attribute on the team,” he said. “I think my football playing skills would probably be my best attribute.”

But he concedes Monken’s point.

“Who knows,” he said. “You’re getting me sidetracked here, thinking about the NFL and I’ve got a game to think about.”

Whether he beats TCU or not, Bennett’s place in college football history is safe. And maybe that’s enough.

But if he does win back-to-back championships and he’s invited on “Good Morning America” again in the wee hours of Tuesday morning, the question will be asked: What’s next?

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Nats seek ‘fresh approach,’ fire Martinez, Rizzo

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Nats seek 'fresh approach,' fire Martinez, Rizzo

The last-place Washington Nationals fired president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo and manager Davey Martinez, the team announced Sunday.

Rizzo, 64, and Martinez, 60, won a World Series with the Nationals in 2019, but the team has floundered in recent years. This season, the Nationals are 37-53 and stuck at the bottom of the National League East after getting swept by the Boston Red Sox this weekend at home. Washington hasn’t finished higher than fourth in the division since winning the World Series.

“On behalf of our family and the Washington Nationals organization, I first and foremost want to thank Mike and Davey for their contributions to our franchise and our city,” principal owner Mark Lerner said in a statement. “Our family is eternally grateful for their years of dedication to the organization, including their roles in bringing a World Series trophy to Washington, D.C.

“While we are appreciative of their past successes, the on-field performance has not been where we or our fans expect it to be. This is a pivotal time for our club, and we believe a fresh approach and new energy is the best course of action for our team moving forward.”

Mike DeBartolo, the club’s senior vice president and assistant general manager, was named interim GM on Sunday night. DeBartolo will oversee all aspects of baseball operations, including the MLB draft. An announcement will be made on the interim manager Monday, a day before the club begins a series against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Rizzo has been the top decision-maker in Washington since 2013, and Martinez has been on board since 2018. Under Rizzo’s leadership, the team made the postseason four times: in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2019. The latter season was Martinez’s lone playoff appearance.

“When our family assumed control of the team, nearly 20 years ago, Mike was the first hire we made,” Lerner said. “Over two decades, he was with us as we went from a fledging team in a new city to World Series champion. Mike helped make us who we are as an organization, and we’re so thankful to him for his hard work and dedication — not just on the field and in the front office, but in the community as well.”

The Nationals are in the midst of a rebuild that has moved slower than expected, though the team didn’t augment its young core much during the winter. Led by All-Stars James Wood and MacKenzie Gore, Washington has the second-youngest group of hitters in MLB and the sixth-youngest pitching staff.

The team lost 11 straight games in a forgettable stretch last month. And during a 2-10 run in June, Washington averaged just 2.5 runs. Since June 1, the Nationals have scored one run or been shut out seven times. In Sunday’s 6-4 loss to Boston, they left 15 runners on base.

There was industry speculation over the winter that the Nationals would spend money on free agents for the first time in several years, but that never materialized. Instead, the team made minor moves, signing free agents Josh Bell and Michael Soroka, trading for first baseman Nathaniel Lowe and re-signing closer Kyle Finnegan. Now, the hope is a new management team, both on and off the field, can help change the franchise’s fortunes.

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Kershaw gets special ASG invite; no Soto, Betts

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Kershaw gets special ASG invite; no Soto, Betts

The rosters for the 2025 MLB All-Star Game will feature 19 first-timers — and one legend — as the pitchers and reserves were announced Sunday for the July 15 contest at Truist Park in Atlanta.

Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw, a three-time Cy Young Award winner who made his first All-Star team in 2011, was named to his 11th National League roster as a special commissioner’s selection.

Kershaw, who became only the fourth left-hander to amass 3,000 career strikeouts, is 4-0 with a 3.43 ERA in nine starts after beginning the season on the injured list. He joins Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera as a legend choice, after the pair of sluggers were selected in 2022.

Kershaw said he didn’t want to discuss the selection Sunday.

Among the first-time All-Stars announced Sunday: Dodgers teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto; Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood and left-hander MacKenzie Gore; Houston Astros ace Hunter Brown and shortstop Jeremy Pena; and Chicago Cubs 34-year-old left-hander Matthew Boyd.

“It’ll just be cool being around some of the best players in the game,” Wood said.

First-time All-Stars previously elected to start by the fans include Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson, Baltimore Orioles designated hitter Ryan O’Hearn and Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong.

Overall, the 19 first-time All-Stars is a drop from the 32 first-time selections on the initial rosters in 2024.

Kershaw would be the sentimental choice to start for the National League, although Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes, who leads NL pitchers in ERA and WAR, might be in line to start his second straight contest. Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler, a three-time All-Star, is 9-3 with a 2.17 ERA after Sunday’s complete-game victory and also would be a strong candidate to start.

“I think it would be stupid to say no to that. It’s a pretty cool opportunity,” Skenes said about the possibility of being asked to start by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “I didn’t make plans over the All-Star break or anything. So, yeah, I’m super stoked.”

Kershaw has made one All-Star start in his career, in 2022 at Dodger Stadium.

Among standout players not selected were New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto, who signed a $765 million contract as a free agent in the offseason, and Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts, who had made eight consecutive All-Star rosters since 2016.

Soto got off to a slow start but was the National League Player of the Month in June and entered Sunday ranked sixth in the NL in WAR among position players while ranking second in OBP, eighth in OPS and third in runs scored.

The players vote for the reserves at each position and selected Wood, Corbin Carroll of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres as the backup outfielders. Kyle Stowers also made it as a backup outfielder as the representative for the Miami Marlins.

Unless Soto later is added as an injury replacement, he’ll miss his first All-Star Game since his first full season in 2019.

The Dodgers lead all teams with five representatives: Kershaw, Yamamoto and starters Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Will Smith. The AL-leading Detroit Tigers (57-34) and Mariners have four each.

Tigers ace Tarik Skubal will join AL starters Riley Greene, Gleyber Torres and Javier Baez, while Raleigh, the AL’s starting catcher, will be joined by Seattle teammates Bryan Woo, Andres Munoz and Julio Rodriguez.

Earning his fifth career selection but first since 2021 is Texas Rangers righty Jacob deGrom, who is finally healthy after making only nine starts in his first two seasons with the Rangers and is 9-2 with a 2.13 ERA. He has never started an All-Star Game, although Skubal or Brown would be the favorite to start for the AL.

The hometown Braves will have three All-Stars in Acuna, pitcher Chris Sale (his ninth selection, tied with Freeman for the second most behind Kershaw) and first baseman Matt Olson. The San Francisco Giants had three pitchers selected: Logan Webb, Robbie Ray and reliever Randy Rodriguez.

The slumping New York Yankees ended up with three All-Stars: Aaron Judge, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Max Fried. The Mets also earned three All-Star selections: Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz.

“Red carpet, that’s my thing,” Chisholm said. “I do have a ‘fit in mind.”

Rosters are expanded from 26 to 32 for the All-Star Game. They include starters elected by fans, 17 players (five starting pitchers, three relievers and a backup for each position) chosen in a player vote and six players (four pitchers and two position players) selected by league officials. Every club must be represented.

Acuna, Wood and Raleigh are the three All-Stars who have so far committed to participating in the Home Run Derby.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Bellinger rescues Yankees to avoid Subway sweep

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Bellinger rescues Yankees to avoid Subway sweep

NEW YORK — The New York Yankees were seemingly in deep trouble Sunday when Juan Soto cracked a pitch to left field in the seventh inning.

The New York Mets, down two runs, were cooking up a rally with no outs. Francisco Lindor stood at first base, Pete Alonso loomed on deck, and Brandon Nimmo was in the hole. This was the heart of the Mets’ potent lineup. Given the Yankees’ recent woes, fumbling their two-run lead and suffering a Subway Series sweep at the hands of their neighbors — and a seventh straight loss — seemed almost fated.

Then Cody Bellinger charged Soto’s sinking 105 mph line drive, made a shoestring catch and fired a strike to first base for an improbable double play to secure a skid-snapping 6-4 win — and perhaps rescue the Yankees from another dreadful outcome.

“Considering the context of this week and everything,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said, “that’s probably our play of the year so far.”

Soto’s line drive off Mark Leiter Jr. had a 10% catch probability, according to Statcast, but Bellinger, a plus defender at multiple positions who started at first base Saturday, was just able to snatch it before it touched the grass. Certain that he caught it clean, he made an 89.9 mph toss that reached first baseman Paul Goldschmidt on a line, over Lindor, who didn’t slide into the bag.

“I saw it in the air and had a really good beat on it,” said Bellinger, who went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk at the plate.

The Mets challenged the catch, but the call stood.

“That was incredible,” said Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge, who swatted his 33rd home run of the season in the fifth inning. “I’ve never seen something like that on the field.”

For the past week, a stretch Boone described as “terrible” for his ballclub, poor defense has been an issue for the Yankees. Physical errors. Mental lapses. Near disasters. The sloppiness helped sink a depleted pitching staff, more than offsetting the offense’s strong production.

That combination produced the team’s second six-game losing streak in three weeks and a three-game deficit in the American League East standings behind the first-place Toronto Blue Jays.

The surging Blue Jays won again Sunday to extend their winning streak to seven games and keep their division lead at three games, but Bellinger’s glove and arm ensured it didn’t grow to four.

“That was an unbelievable play,” Goldschmidt said. “Amazing catch and absolute cannon to me at first. To make that play was a game-changing play and potentially game-winning play for us today. And we needed it.”

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