'He's just getting started': Dowell Loggains talks Mazeo Bennett's progress throughout freshman year
Despite being a freshman, Mazeo Bennett Jr is proving that he has skills beyond his age. His talent while playing a difficult position has not gone unnoticed fans and coaches, including offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains.
“The slot is a hard position to play because there’s a lot you got to understand. You have to be smart, and it’s not just smart like book smart,” Loggains said. “You have to be able to think quickly, you have to be able to process quickly.”
What sets Bennett apart from other freshmen, especially at receiver, is his mindset and mentality. His football knowledge and mindset has helped him earn early success.
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“When you talk to Mazeo, you guys see it like he’s a quick thinker, but you can also feel his intensity when you talk to him. He’s dead serious as well, he’s very prideful, he wants to be good at football,” Loggains said. “He’s gotten a lot of pats on the back for having a pretty good year as a freshman like if you asked him he probably would tell you the truth.”
Despite his success and the praise he has received, Bennett focuses on continuing to improve, Loggains said.
“He’d probably say, ‘I haven’t done enough as a freshman,’ but that’s why he makes plays across the middle, because he’s fearless. And part of being a slot receiver is you need to be fearless,” Loggains said. “You need to understand coverage, you need to have savviness, you need to have football instinct.”
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So far as a Gamecock, Bennett has scored three touchdowns, recording 289 yards. But making contested catches and quick plays is no small task in the SEC.
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“It’s loud in between the hashes and you have to go in there in SEC games and play where it’s loud and make contested catches. Move the chains and do those things like your slot receiver needs to be a chain mover,” Loggains said.
Gaining experience and growing as a wide receiver now sets Bennett up for a bright future as a Gamecock.
“He’s just getting started like he’s going to have a chance to be a really good slot receiver in this conference for a long time. And a really good player for us for a long time,” Loggains. “He just needs to keep taking the process and taking the right steps to continue to get better and growing up fast.”
