Colin Sheridan: GAA must now protect Sigerson Cup, the last bastion of hipsterdom

UCC’s Diarmuid O’Connor scores a penalty against UCD in the Sigerson Cup last week. Inter-county footballers who wish to play college football need to be protected and allowed to do so, otherwise the competition will perish. Picture: Inpho/Tom Maher

On January 10, senior Stetson Bennett IV led the Georgia Bulldogs in their upset of first ranked Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship. The game was played in front of 62,000 spectators in Indianapolis, as well as a TV audience of over 22 million people.

Although Stetson was the offensive MVP, it is unlikely he will ever play in the NFL. He entered college as a walk-on — a student athlete who is typically unrecruited and without a scholarship — and is likely to depart just as quietly.