Mazeo Bennett intrigued by Kentucky's offense as his stock rises

Former offensive coordinator Liam Coen might have left for the Los Angeles Rams, but the Kentucky Football offense is still drawing in high-level recruits at wide receiver. One of the latest is a four-star pass-catcher from the class of 2024, Mazeo Bennett, who we introduced on the site Wednesday night. But let’s get to know him just a little bit better. Kentucky is just one of the many Power 5 programs keeping a very close eye on the 6-foot, 180-pound wideout from Greenville, SC.

Bennett has seen his stock soar since 2022 began. He’s added nine Divison I offers since the calendar turned over, putting him up to 13 total. A few of the scholarships he received came from the likes of Georgia, Florida State, Penn State, and Tennessee. He’s also hearing from Alabama, Clemson, and Notre Dame. Kentucky was the third program to offer Bennett, doing so when he came to Lexington to watch UK upset LSU at Kroger Field in October. His first pair of offers came from the two local schools: South Carolina and Coastal Carolina.

It was actually his trip to Coastal Carolina in the fall where he performed well at their camp, received his first Divison I offer, and quickly began to blow up in the recruiting world. Bennett was unable to camp the summer prior due to a glute injury, but once he found the field, college coaches took notice. Now, he’s considered one of the premier wide receivers in his class and is gathering offers from the biggest names in the sport.

Blessed beyond measures.
I am nothing without God. #first12 pic.twitter.com/QIFcymj1yo

— Mazeo “MJ” Bennett 🥷🏾 (@TheMazeoBennett) April 20, 2022

Coen is no longer around to help recruit Bennett, but current wide receivers coach Scott Woodward was the one who initially sparked the relationship and has continued it ever since. Bennett told KSR on Wednesday that every time the two speak, Woodward emphasizes how Kentucky is embracing a pro-style offense that includes plenty of passing plays.

Bennett visited Kentucky twice in 2021, once in the spring and then again in the fall for the LSU game. He’s hoping to get back to Lexington this summer or possibly for another game visit in the fall but is still working out those details. As of right now, he has just two more spring visits left on his schedule: West Virginia this weekend and then Tennessee on May 28.

“Me and Kentucky, we try to keep in contact,” Bennett told KSR. “I haven’t talked to them since the middle of spring ball. We was still trying to get a visit up there but that’s when gas prices shot up so I couldn’t make it, I couldn’t schedule a visit up there. So we definitely gonna try to to get back up there either for a game or during the summer just to hang out.”

Bennett is not the first recruit I’ve spoken with that said the rising gas prices across the country have impacted potential recruiting visits. Considering he’s still a sophomore, all visits will be unofficial, meaning the school can not cover the expenses. Bennett can begin taking official visits on August 1, of which he’ll have five. We’ll have a clearer idea of who is high on his list once those official visits are confirmed.

South Carolina surely seems to be one of them, though. Bennett says that the close proximity allows him to make regular visits. The Gamecocks were his second offer and he has a close relationship with WR coach Justin Stepp. He was also high on his offer from the defending champion Georgia Bulldogs, saying that “it was crazy just being in their presence.” Bennett’s older brother, Zykiesis Cannon, played defensive back at Louisville from 2014-17, although the Cardinals have not shown much interest as of right now.