Stetson Bennett rewrote Georgia’s script and became a legend
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Angelo Pizzo knows a thing or two about great underdog stories. He wrote the screenplays for “Hoosiers” and “Rudy,” two of the most iconic sports films of all time. He knows a good storyline.
Pizzo, 75, sees a lot of Rudy Ruettiger — the walk-on who played three snaps in one game for Notre Dame in 1975 — in Stetson Bennett, the Georgia Bulldogs‘ undersized star quarterback.
“He’s like Rudy with more talent — a lot more talent,” Pizzo said. “It takes a special person. It takes a special belief. You have to kind of work through all the logic that says, ‘You’re not that. Go play for Georgia State, not Georgia.’ He had this belief and saw things and felt things that no one else did.”
On Monday night, about 11 miles from Hollywood, Bennett put the finishing touches on a storied college career that not even Pizzo could have written. The former walk-on, who left Georgia for a year to play at a junior college then came back when the team needed him, led the No. 1 Bulldogs to a 65-7 victory over No. 3 TCU in the College Football Playoff National Championship presented by AT&T at SoFi Stadium.
Georgia became the fifth team to finish 15-0 and the first to repeat as national champion in the CFP era. The Bulldogs are just the fourth to go back-to-back since 1990; Nebraska (1994 and 1995), Southern California (2003 and 2004) and Alabama (2011 and 2012) were the others.
Bennett, 25, became only the eighth quarterback in the AP poll era to lead his team to back-to-back national titles.
Bennett’s final act was his opus. He completed 18 of 25 passes for 304 yards with four touchdowns and ran for two more scores. Bennett tied former LSU quarterback Joe Burrow for most points responsible for in a CFP title game with 36. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, he is the only player over the past 25 years to have four passing touchdowns and two rushing scores in a game against a top-five opponent.
“Stetson speaks for himself, the way he leads and prepares,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “His mental makeup is such of a quarterback that believes he can make every throw, and what he did tonight was truly amazing. Probably had his best game of his career, in my opinion, with some of the checks he made, some of the decisions he made, just really elite.”
No one could have anticipated that Bennett’s curtain call would come with about 13½ minutes remaining in the game. With Georgia leading 52-7, Smart called a timeout. Bennett hugged a few of his offensive linemen and tight end Brock Bowers, and then the quarterback walked to the sideline, where he was greeted with another hug from Smart.
During the break, as the Redcoat Marching Band played, Georgia fans saluted Bennett by lighting up their cell phones and waving their arms in unison.
“I told all the guys, ‘What are we doing? Why don’t we have a play?'” Bennett said. “I was, like, they’re letting me walk out of here.”
It was a fitting tribute for a quarterback who started his college career by mimicking Oklahoma‘s Baker Mayfield in bowl practices before playing the Sooners in the 2018 Rose Bowl and ended it as arguably one of the two or three most accomplished players in Georgia football history.
“Any time there’s a conversation, he’s going to be in the discussion about who is the best player and quarterback in Georgia history,” said Buck Belue, who was the last quarterback before Bennett to lead the Bulldogs to a national title, in 1980. “I don’t see anybody else winning back-to-back titles. That’s like a royal flush. Who’s going to top that?”
A year ago, when the Bulldogs had a historically talented defense with five starters selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft, some critics wondered whether they won their first national title in 41 years in spite of their quarterback. Some Georgia fans, whether they’ll admit it now or not, were ready for Bennett to move on so that younger quarterbacks like Carson Beck and Brock Vandagriff would have a chance to play.
On Jan. 12, 2022, two days after throwing two fourth-quarter touchdowns to lead Georgia to a 33-18 victory against Alabama in the CFP title game, Bennett walked into Smart’s office and told him he was thinking about coming back.
“I’m trying to decide if I’m going to come back or ride off in the wind,” Bennett told his coach, according to Smart. “I don’t understand everybody’s telling me I should just ride off into the sunset [and] be the legendary quarterback who won a national title. That’s just not who I am I am. I don’t get it. Why should I do that when I have an opportunity to play again? Why don’t we go win it again?”
Smart, who knew the Bulldogs were going to lose 15 players to the NFL, wasn’t as confident as his quarterback.
“I’m kind of thinking, ‘Well, that would be nice, but we lost 15 draft picks,'” Smart said. “Might not be that easy this time.” But Bennett believed Georgia would be good enough again. “He had full conviction that he wanted to come back and go opposite of the mainstream,” Smart said. “He said, ‘I want to go play. I want to go play football and prove to people this is no fluke. We can do this.’ And he did everything that he said he was going to do.”
This season, it was clear that Georgia wouldn’t have won a second national title without him. He was 7-0 against ranked opponents, throwing 20 touchdowns with only three interceptions. During the regular season, he beat Oregon‘s Bo Nix, Florida‘s Anthony Richardson, Tennessee‘s Hendon Hooker and Kentucky‘s Will Levis, who are all considered potential NFL quarterbacks.
Bennett threw four touchdowns in the first half of a 50-30 rout of LSU in the SEC championship game. He had two fourth-quarter touchdown passes against Ohio State in the CFP semifinal, including the game winner to Adonai Mitchell with 54 seconds left, to bring Georgia back from a 14-point deficit in a 42-41 victory.
Ironically, it was a walk-on quarterback who got Smart to open up his offense. During Smart’s first couple of seasons as coach of his alma mater, he leaned on what he had learned at Alabama as Nick Saban’s defensive coordinator. The Bulldogs ran the ball and played stout defense.
But when the Bulldogs were struggling to land highly coveted quarterbacks and game-changing wide receivers, Smart changed his philosophy. After the 2019 season, Smart shook up his coaching staff and hired offensive coordinator Todd Monken, who had just been fired by the Cleveland Browns.
“[Smart] wanted a certain amount of structure, a certain amount of NFL experience,” Monken said. “How would you be explosive? Maybe change the narrative. Just that you’re conservative, you don’t want to be explosive. You’ve got to get good skill players; you’ve got to get quarterbacks. How do we do that?”
Eventually, Monken and Bennett became the perfect partnership, but it took a while to get there. Bennett took over the offense only after Justin Fields transferred to Ohio State, Wake Forest transfer Jamie Newman opted out and Southern California transfer JT Daniels got hurt.
Together, Monken and Bennett produced two of the most prolific offenses in Georgia history. This season, Bennett became the Bulldogs’ first 4,000-yard passer. In four CFP contests, he completed 67.8% of his passes for 1,239 yards and 12 touchdowns with one interception, and he tallied two scoring runs.
“He’s at the top — the very top,” Georgia offensive tackle Broderick Jones said when asked where Bennett ranks among Bulldogs players. “Stetson has done so much for this program it’s crazy. All the way from giving [the defense] scout looks to playing to throwing game-winning balls. He’s done everything he could at the University of Georgia.”
Georgia wide receiver Ladd McConkey agreed.
“I think he goes down as the top,” McConkey said. “He won two national championships, back to back. He showed up in every way possible and has done so much for this program. I think he should go out on top.”
Less than an hour after confetti stopped falling from the ceiling of SoFi Stadium, Smart was asked, of all things, about Bennett’s ineligibility for the College Football Hall of Fame. Because he was never named an All-American, Bennett won’t receive the sport’s highest post-career honor. He was 29-3 as a starter. He was named the offensive MVP of two CFP semifinals and two CFP national championships.
“I don’t know about the prerequisites,” Smart said. “I know he’s got GOAT status in Athens, Georgia, forever.”
When Smart walked into his office at SoFi Stadium after Monday night’s game, he found his 10-year-old son, Andrew. Thinking somebody had hurt his feelings, Smart asked him, “Why are you crying? You’re going to ruin my moment.”
“Stetson is leaving,” Smart’s son said. “He’s going to go.”
“He’s 25 years old,” Smart said. “He’s got to go. He’s got to leave.”
And now the Bulldogs will have to try to win another national championship without him.
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Greg Wyshynski
When Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk raised the Stanley Cup over his head for the second straight season, the on-ice celebration included two of the most important people in his life: Father Keith Tkachuk, who played 18 seasons in the NHL; and brother Brady Tkachuk, captain of the Ottawa Senators.
Keith was smoking cigars and hoisting the Cup with Matthew around the arena. Brady was holding a beer and diligently avoiding contact with the Cup, as superstition dictates that an NHL player should never touch it if they’ve never won it before.
The celebration was another memorable moment for the Tkachuk boys and their father. This month, another one arrived: The trio graces the cover of EA Sports’ NHL 26 Deluxe Edition.
“Growing up, Matthew and I dreamed of playing just like our dad,” Brady Tkachuk said. “Even now, his influence on how we play and prepare remains huge. It’s an honor to be featured on the cover. Having him standing alongside us makes the whole thing even better.”
We spoke with Matthew and Brady Tkachuk recently about their video game history, the Panthers’ wild offseason, Brady’s future in Ottawa, Matthew’s health heading into next season and their thoughts on the new NHL collective bargaining agreement.
But first, we asked two of the first players named to the 2026 U.S. men’s Olympic ice hockey team about chasing gold. Responses were edited for length and clarity.
You guys became USA Hockey legends after the 4 Nations Face-Off, if you weren’t already. Obviously, the tournament did not end the way Americans wanted. Is winning Olympic gold in the 2026 Winter Games in Italy the ultimate revenge on our friends in Canada?
MATTHEW TKACHUK: I don’t even know if you look at it as revenge, but it’s been a long time coming since USA Hockey’s been at the top of the mountain. Canada’s owned the Olympics or World Cups or even the world championships, although we got that back a little bit this year. They’ve been the leader in all of that and the team that we’ve all been trying to knock off.
I don’t think it’d be as much as revenge than showing how far along USA Hockey has come. We’ve had some incredible players and national teams that we’ve looked up to our whole lives but that haven’t gotten the job done. So, not only would winning [gold] accomplish dreams for us, but hopefully it would bring a lot of satisfaction for those guys that paved the way for us.
Brady, you play in a Canadian city while trying to win Olympic gold for the Americans. What’s that dynamic like?
BRADY TKACHUK: Learning from experience, it’s a little bit of a different position to be in. All the people that support you on a day-to-day basis, now they don’t want you to win.
Your dream as kids is winning the Stanley Cup and winning a gold medal for your country. I know that’s always been our two main goals. But we got into hockey, and a lot of people got into hockey, from the 1980 Miracle on Ice. And now, we have an opportunity to pave the way for the next generation of kids in the U.S. that maybe wouldn’t be playing hockey if they didn’t get to experience USA Hockey in the Winter Olympics and potential gold medals.
There’s not just playing for ourselves in that locker room with that group, but you’re really playing for your country and you’re playing for the next generation of kids. And like Matthew said, you’re playing for the guys that have paved the way, that are to be so supportive and fired up to be watching.
You guys are NHL 26 cover athletes, along with your dad. We spoke to Keith recently, who reminisced about seeing the glow of a video game screen under the doors of your bedrooms, whether it was when you were younger or in Matt’s case, when he was playing in Calgary. What’s your brief history of playing video games together?
MATTHEW TKACHUK: Yeah, we would play. I think during COVID was probably the last time I religiously played, and that was when we were all under one roof before I had my house in St. Louis. Brady and I played a lot. NHL is definitely one of them. I think Brady has played more throughout his life than I have, and that was one of the things that he was much better at than I am. So, I didn’t really play too much against him.
We played the game like how you’d probably expect us to play: Turn off all the penalties, make all the guys really big and fast. It was like prison rules NHL. So, it was a lot of fun.
BRADY TKACHUK: I honestly feel like we had a pretty religious routine. Right after school, if it was a nice day, out for roller hockey then dinner and then we were playing NHL. We try to sneak in a best-of-seven if it was early enough, but it was a lot of fun. Either we played together or most of the time, we’re playing together against each other and it was a ton of fun.
Now that you’re in the NHL, what is the level of interest or concern among the boys when it comes to their EA Sports ratings? Do they still care?
MATTHEW TKACHUK: We don’t talk about it too much. I know that there’s one day, maybe it might be at the beginning of the year, which I guess is coming up here soon, where you go over your rating or you guess another player’s rating. I think where they get pissed off is when you guess their rating and it’s way lower than their actual rating is.
You’ve got to be careful with who the sensitive guys are on the team because you don’t want that to actually affect them — and you never know if it might. Hockey players are proud athletes. You want to have a decent rating.
BRADY TKACHUK: I’m probably one of the guys that will just play a game as the Sens to see where my rating is at, to see how good my guy is. This version is exciting because it’s more individual-based. You can see within the game how I am in real life, and that’s really cool and unique.
These ratings are always fun. And to be honest with you, I don’t know what the rating is going into this year’s game. I know they give a midyear bump and that’s the goal: That hopefully I get a midyear bump because that means I’m playing well.
Matthew, your name was recently listed by the White House as being part of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, joining names like Wayne Gretzky and Mariano Rivera. How did you get involved in that?
MATTHEW TKACHUK: I’m not actually allowed to comment on that until it’s official yet. So, I have to wait on that a little bit. But I promise in a few weeks, if that comes true, I’ll answer that for you.
Let’s talk about something that did come true: The Florida Panthers somehow hanging on to Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad and Brad Marchand as free agents. How shocked were you that GM Bill Zito was able to pull that off?
MATTHEW TKACHUK: I don’t know if I was shocked. I think at the time, as a player and more importantly as a friend, you’re more worried that one of your buddies is going to go elsewhere. At the end of the day, you want your teammates and your best buddies to be happy with whatever decision they make. So, if that’s chasing a ton of money or if that’s going to where they want to play, you just got to be happy for them.
The best part about those three is they all believe in what we’re doing in Florida. They want to live in Florida, they want to play on a good team, and they want to have a great group of players surrounding them.
Out of all of them, I was most confident in [Ekblad] staying the most. Just because he’s been a lifelong Florida Panther. I just think it was going to be impossible for him to leave. And then the other guys … I mean, this was a chance for them to cash in. You just didn’t know if it was going to be with us or not.
I was surprised, though, that they were all able to stay. I thought that with the way the money was tied up, you didn’t know if it was going to be possible — and somehow it was. Everybody was taken care of so well.
Bill did a great job of making sure it could happen. You want your best buddies to be rewarded with how great they played and how great they’ve been up to this point. I think they all got rewarded very well, and I’m just so excited to have a chance to hopefully run it back with them this year.
When did you know about Marchand? Was it when he was smoking cigars on the back of a golf cart outside of the Elbo Room? At some point, were you just convinced the guy liked it down there vs. leaving as a free agent?
MATTHEW TKACHUK: Marchand, when he first got traded, I would’ve thought there was never a chance that we’re going to be able to keep everybody. As time goes on and you have success and you get to know guys and you get to know what their wants and desires are with the rest of their career — or where they want to live — you can start connecting the dots. People just don’t want to leave Florida when they come. I think that that is the case with them and everybody that’s been there.
The only time you’re going to see guys leave is if it’s such a crazy difference with money. Some of these guys that we’ve had the last few years have really cashed in with other teams, which we’re so happy to see. I think that’s really the only way you’re going to see guys go elsewhere.
We have too good of a thing going right now, and everybody wants to be a part of it.
Brady, your dad threw cold water on all the speculation about you leaving Ottawa when we spoke recently. How much did making the playoffs, showing the progress of the Senators, give you a sense of relief that maybe some of that speculation might go by the wayside now?
BRADY TKACHUK: Yeah, I think we really needed to make the playoffs to show everybody that we’re a team that’s capable of that, but also capable of doing more than just making the playoffs.
The last couple of years, it was kind of stagnant. We had high expectations and we didn’t quite accomplish what we needed to. And with that came doubt. But I think it showed with the steps that we took last year that we have a great hockey team. I think that we’re kind of just getting started with what we want to accomplish. Playoffs are great to get to, but that’s not our end goal. The sky’s the limit for our group.
I think [that success] helped with all the speculation. When things aren’t going well, people are always assuming or trying to think in my shoes. But I was kind of never really in that thought process. It was all about sticking it out. It’s been a long time coming, for not just our team but the city, to get into the playoffs. And I think it was really important to me to end that drought.
Through all that adversity that we faced with being the bottom five teams to finally get to the playoffs was an amazing feeling. But now that we got there, I think everybody wants a little bit more and wants to accomplish all of our childhood dreams.
Obviously, the season is getting closer. Brady, we saw you were training with Trevor Zegras this summer. What are your thoughts about him getting a fresh start in Philadelphia with the Flyers?
BRADY TKACHUK: Yeah, I drove up to Connecticut and skated with him. I’ve known ‘Z’ throughout the years but got to know him pretty well when we played world championships together. He’s a great guy, and I think it’s going to be great for him to get a fresh start in Philly and under Rick Tocchet. They have a great culture there, and I think he’s just going to do a good job of fitting in.
I’ve always thought playing against Philly that they play super hard, but they have a lot of great players with skill. So, I think that is going to be the best thing for him. I’m excited to see his progression this year and see how the change affects him. I bet that’s going to be for the good.
Matthew, you were dealing with some significant injuries by the end of last season and said it was “50/50” regarding offseason surgery. What’s your path for the next few months? Are you still hoping to maybe hit the ice in October?
MATTHEW TKACHUK: I’m still hoping to hit the ice as soon as possible. If I do get the surgery, it definitely will be the first two, maybe three months [of the season] if that’s the case. But it’s still undecided at this point.
Finally, the NHL and NHLPA have signed off on a new collective bargaining agreement. We haven’t heard from many players about this deal. What did you like? What did you wish was in it that didn’t make the cut?
BRADY TKACHUK: I think Marty [Walsh], Ron Hainsey and the NHLPA did a really good job. A lot of it came behind the scenes with the NHL. They kept it discreet.
I think it’s important that we did a four-year deal and to navigate where our league is in four years’ time. Obviously, there’s things that will probably trend and want maybe more of in four years’ time. But I think the changes that they made are exciting. The 84-game schedule [means] more hockey for people to come and watch. I think it’s going to be good.
Less preseason crap, too.
MATTHEW TKACHUK: Took the words right out of my mouth.
That’s the one main thing I like. I’ve never liked the preseason setup. I mean, guys do a great job of coming into [camp] in shape. There are the captain’s skates before the preseason because everyone wants to get back and see the boys. So, I think preseason has been overrated. It’s way too long, and the games are way too much. However they were able to shorten that, I was on board with that for sure.
Just get into the season. Just get on with it.
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Greg Wyshynski
Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk said he remains undecided about getting surgery before the 2025-26 season but acknowledged he could miss significant time should he require it.
Tkachuk, 27, revealed after the season that he sustained a torn adductor muscle and a sports hernia injury while playing for Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. He missed the final 25 games of the NHL regular season but returned for Game 1 of the Panthers’ first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Tkachuk had 23 points (8 goals, 15 assists) in 23 games during the playoffs, including seven points in the final against Edmonton, to lead the Panthers to their second straight Stanley Cup championship.
Coach Paul Maurice said his star forward was “a mess” healthwise heading into the postseason.
“We weren’t hopeful at the start that he would survive the first round,” he said.
Tkachuk said after the season that it was “50/50” whether he’d have surgery, adding that the offseason provided ample time to make that call. Tkachuk told ESPN on Friday that “I’m still hoping to hit the ice as soon as possible.” Should he decide to go under the knife, Tkachuk said, it’s likely he’ll miss multiple months of action.
“If I do get the surgery, it’ll definitely be the first two or maybe three months if that’s the case. But it’s still undecided at this point,” said the Panthers star, whose contract and cap hit could be placed on long-term injured reserve during his recovery.
It’s been a notable offseason for Tkachuk. He appears on the cover of EA Sports’ NHL 26 and is featured with brother Brady and father Keith on the cover of the game’s deluxe edition.
Matthew and Brady Tkachuk were among the first six players named to the 2026 U.S. men’s Olympic hockey roster for the Winter Games in Italy next year. Matthew Tkachuk also married fiancée Ellie Connell in July.
All of that was after another epic, multiday Stanley Cup celebration by the Panthers in Fort Lauderdale and Miami that featured spontaneous appearances at bars, clubs and beaches as well as a championship parade.
The Panthers’ chances for a third straight Stanley Cup received a boost this summer when GM Bill Zito was able to re-sign a trio of star veteran free agents: center Sam Bennett (8 years, $64 million), defenseman Aaron Ekblad (8 years, $48 million), and winger Brad Marchand (6 years, $31.5 million).
Tkachuk said that he wasn’t surprised that all three players wanted to remain with the Panthers but that he was amazed that Zito found a way to make the money work under the salary cap.
“I thought that the way the money was tied up, you didn’t know it was going to be possible, and somehow it was,” he said. “Everybody was taken care of so well, and Bill did a great job of making sure it could happen. I think they all got rewarded very well, and I’m just so excited to have a chance to hopefully run it back with them this year.”
Tkachuk said he was confident that Ekblad would return, having been a Panther since he was drafted by Florida first overall in 2014. He was a little less certain about Bennett and especially Marchand, who both had a chance to break the bank in free agency.
“When Marchand first got traded [at the deadline this spring], I would’ve thought there was never a chance that we were going to be able to keep everybody. But as time goes on and you have success and you get to know guys’ wants and desires for the rest of their career, you can start connecting the dots,” Tkachuk said. “People just don’t want to leave Florida when they come [here]. We have too good of a thing going right now, and everybody wants to be a part of it.”
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