Todd Monken owns up to his issues with former Georgia QB Stetson Bennett

ATHENS — Todd Monken and Stetson Bennett led Georgia to back-to-back national championships during the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

But that might not have happened had Bennett not persevered during his time in Athens.

In speaking with Kevin Clark of ESPN on the “This Is Football“ podcast, Monken called Bennett the most underrated player he’s worked with.

The former Georgia offensive coordinator, who is now the head coach of the Cleveland Browns, praised Bennett for how he kept improving throughout his college career.

Even if Monken was dismissive of Bennett at the start.

“He gets all the credit. He gets all the credit,” Monken said. “I mean, I tried everything I could early in his career to not play him. For a number of reasons. Some he has to own, but some I have to own, but ultimately, he just kept competing.

“Nobody believed in him more than Kirby Smart. And he got better and better and better.”

Monken arrived at Georgia ahead of the 2020 season. Bennett stepped in as the team’s starting quarterback that year but was ultimately replaced by JT Daniels.

But when Daniels went down with multiple injuries in 2021, Bennett stepped up and kept improving. It helped that Bennett got to play with one of the great defenses of the 21st century, but in the fourth quarter of the national championship game, it was Bennett who connected with AD Mitchell to give Georgia the lead for good.

Bennett returned as Georgia’s starting quarterback in 2022 and got even better. He finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting.

“Like the first year we won the national championship in ’21, we won with him,” Monken said. “He had his moments in ’22. We won it because of him.

“We won the national championship because of Stetson Bennett.”

Bennett is now a backup for the Los Angeles Rams after he was taken in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL draft. The 2022 season was also Monken’s final year in Athens, as he left to become the offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens.

Georgia replaced Monken with Mike Bobo, who is still Georgia’s offensive coordinator.

Monken will have a chance to add a few Georgia Bulldogs to his roster in the upcoming NFL draft. The Browns have the No. 6 and No. 24 picks in the first round. Georgia sent 10 players to the NFL combine, some of whom played for Monken when he was in Athens.