Stetson Bennett’s push for the Rams’ backup job keeps trending the right way, and the signs out of practice this week suggest he’s still ahead of rookie Ty Simpson in that race. Bennett already turned heads in the Rams’ second preseason game last weekend, and he’s continued to get practice reps before Simpson as the competition stretches on.
Los Angeles still hasn’t locked in a final decision on the No. 2 quarterback spot, but Bennett has been handling the preseason starts and working ahead of Simpson in camp. That kind of usage usually tells you plenty about where things stand.
The Rams have one preseason game left Thursday, and whether Bennett plays could say even more. If they hold him out, that would point even more strongly toward him landing the backup role, since teams often protect a player they view as close to making the roster move.
Back in Athens, Georgia has its own quarterback battle bubbling under the surface. Gunner Stockton is locked in as the starter, but the fight behind him is still very much alive.
Ryan Puglisi entered fall camp as the expected backup, yet redshirt freshman Ryan Montgomery has put together a strong camp and is pressing for the job. Kirby Smart said Tuesday that the competition is still going and could even spill into the regular season.
That matters because Georgia opens with two home games against Tennessee State and Western Kentucky, and those matchups are expected to give Smart a chance to empty the bench once the Bulldogs build big leads. That could mean real snaps for both Puglisi and Montgomery, and maybe a little separation in the race.
The winner won’t just be the next man up if Stockton gets hurt. More than that, this battle should help clarify who’s in position to take over when Stockton is gone.
There’s also a former Bulldog trying to carve out another path back to the college game. JaCorey Thomas, a former Georgia defensive back, went pro this offseason but went undrafted and later had a minicamp stint with the Carolina Panthers that didn’t lead anywhere. Now he’s suing for another year of eligibility, though he has made it clear he doesn’t want to return to Georgia.
That part lines up with what Smart said about not wanting NFL players back in Athens, and the SEC backed that stance Tuesday night by telling all 16 member schools they aren’t allowed to do it. The Big Ten issued a similar statement this week as well.
Thomas will keep pursuing another year, but Georgia, the SEC, and the Big Ten are all off the table.
In Other News...
Stetson Bennett Just Put Real Pressure On The Rams Backup Battle
Sean McVay has put Stetson Bennett in position to stick with the Rams for another season, announcing that the former Georgia quarterback has made Los Angeles final 53-man roster for 2026. The move keeps Bennett in a quarterback room that already has Matthew Stafford entrenched as the starter, while also setting up a familiar kind of competition behind him as the Rams sort through their depth chart.
Ty Simpson is the new wrinkle in that picture, with the rookie joining Bennett in the fight for the backup job. Bennetts presence is no longer in question for now, but the bigger issue sits beyond this season, since his contract expires afterward and his long-term future with the Rams is still unsettled. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Fans Need To See The SECs New Line On Comebacks
The SEC has drawn a harder line on athletes who flirt with the pro route and then hope to come back, announcing a new policy that bars players who declare for the NBA, WNBA or NFL drafts, or sign with those leagues, from returning to college teams within the conference. It is a broader stance than the Big Tens similar rule, which only covers football, and it leaves baseball and Olympic sports out of the equation, but for programs in the SEC it adds another layer to the decision-making for players weighing whether to test the waters.
A Louisiana court recently gave 33 athletes a temporary path back into college sports with a restraining order, including former SEC players such as DaeQuan Wright, but the catch is significant for league loyalists. If those athletes return, it would have to be outside the SEC, which makes the conferences new stance especially relevant for Georgia fans tracking roster turnover and the growing uncertainty around players who might want a second chance in college. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia May Be Finding The Receiver Its Passing Game Needed
Georgias wide receivers came into fall camp without much production to show for it, which only added to the uncertainty around a passing game that already had plenty of questions hanging over it. Lately, though, Talyn Taylor has started to look like the player Georgia hoped it was getting when it landed the former five-star recruit, and he has quickly worked his way into a top-target role for quarterback Gunner Stockton as the season opener against Tennessee State approaches.
Stockton and Taylor have shown a sharper connection in practice, and that matters because Georgia does not need a mystery at receiver once the games start. The Bulldogs have been looking for someone to steady the group and give the passing attack a reliable, dynamic option, and Taylors emergence at least gives the offense a more credible answer heading into Week 1. [Read more 🡒]