Georgia Bulldogs QB Stetson Bennett is ready for more

ATHENS, Ga. — One day this summer, Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett knocked on an apartment door, wearing a mock U.S. Postal Service uniform. He handed a package to a woman who answered the door.

«Hey, here you go,» Bennett told her. «This place is nice.»

«Excuse me, why is Stetson Bennett actually delivering our mail?» a man standing at the kitchen island asked him.

«I deliver, that's what I do,» Bennett told him.

Bennett, who helped deliver Georgia its first national title in 41 years with a 33-18 victory over Alabama in January, is reaping the rewards of becoming a statewide hero.

Entering his fifth season with the No. 3 Bulldogs, which begins with Saturday's opener against No. 11 Oregon in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Bennett is nearing $1 million in name, image and likeness deals, according to his NIL agent, Jeff Hoffman of Everett Sports Management.

The aforementioned mailman skit was actually a TV commercial for a real estate development and investment management firm. He also has NIL deals with a power company, bank, clothing line, software firm, chicken restaurant, trading cards, autograph memorabilia and AARP (he turns 25 on Oct. 28).

In one of his first NIL deals for Raising Cane's, a nationwide fast-food chain, Bennett surprised hundreds of Georgia students by handing out chicken fingers and signing autographs in the drive-thru at an Athens restaurant. He joked with one customer that his total was $33.18, referring to the score in the Bulldogs' victory over Alabama.

Bennett's hometown of Blackshear, Georgia, threw him a homecoming parade on Jan. 30. He has been featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated, appeared on Good Morning America and flew with the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels