ATHENS – While college football analysts have been pointing out some holes in Stetson Bennett’s game lately, there are no such gaps in his NIL game.
Georgia’s senior quarterback added another endorsement to his growing pile of NIL deals and, according to his representation, Bennett’s latest is ground-breaking in college football.
Bennett signed a deal recently to represent Shuman Farms, a major producer of sweet onions -- the Vidalia variety, in particular -- in South Georgia. It’s one of the first agricultural partnerships in the country in the rapidly expanding world of NIL deals, according to Bennett’s agent, Dan Everett of ESM.
Bennett, star of Georgia’s 2021 national championship team, is thought to be one of the top-paid players in college football because of his many NIL relationships. This latest deal is thought to have taken him over a $1 million in endorsements. On3.com, which tracks NIL, currently lists Bennett as having brokered $963,000 in deals through ESM.
Shuman Farms is just the latest. The South Georgia onion producer rolled out the Bennett-led advertising campaign Tuesday with a commercial featuring the Georgia quarterback eating onion rings at what looks like a tailgate. Offered more, Bennett’s catchphrase reply is: “I think I’ll take one more ring.”
In their press release announcing their partnership with Bennett, Shuman Farms proclaims: “What do sweet onions and champion Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett have in common? They’re both what South Georgia is known for – and both have rings.”
Bennett is from Blackshear, a major agribusiness area in southeast Georgia.
Bennett, of course, led the Georgia Bulldogs to their first national championship in football in 42 years last year. The Bulldogs currently are ranked No. 2, having fallen from the top spot in the two major polls after struggling to a 26-22 win over Missouri in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday.
Nevertheless, Bennett has continued to play well as a sixth-year quarterback. Heading into Saturday’s home game against Auburn (3:30 p.m., CBS), Bennett ranks second in the SEC in passing (307 ypg) and is responsible for nine touchdowns passing and rushing this season.
About the Author
