Bryan Bennett

QB · Southeastern Louisiana
Bennett arrived at Oregon as the assumed successor to Darron Thomas in Chip Kelly's explosive offense, but a young quarterback by the name of Marcus Mariota changed all that, winning the starting job in 2012 and forcing Bennett to choose between changing positions and transferring out of Eugene. He found success at Southeastern Louisiana the past two years, thriving in a shotgun spread offense with a lot of option packages and designed runs. Bennett is at his best with quick reads (screens, slants, etc.) where he can find his man and deliver with a solid base, but his lack of NFL quality arm strength and accuracy stand out as well. He will draw some Johnny Manziel comparisons with his play style and competitive intangibles, but his wild, undisciplined tendencies create doubt. A four-star recruit out of high school, Bennett had offers from Boise State and Pittsburgh, but was won over by Eugene and redshirted in 2010 at Oregon. He served as the primary back-up to Thomas as a redshirt freshman in 2011, seeing part-time action and recording six touchdowns. With Thomas leaving early for the NFL, Bennett was the assumed starter in 2012 as a sophomore, but Mariota won the starting job and Bennett was again relegated to reserve duty as No. 2 on the depth chart. With Mariota entrenched as the starter, Bennett decided to transfer, enrolling at Southeastern Louisiana and starting all 14 games as a junior in 2013, leading the Lions in both rushing (1,046 yards) and passing (3,165 yards) with 37 total touchdowns (21 passing, 16 rushing). He started 12 games as a senior in 2014, but saw his production decline as his completion percentage went from 60.7-percent as a junior to 49.5-percent as a senior. Bennett earned First Team All-Southland honors each of the last two seasons.

Recent Bryan Bennett Notes

Chip Kelly won't be blinded by stars in picking UCLA's QB

Chip Kelly's QB history: What can past can reveal for UCLA