Mazeo Bennett making most of early opportunities as a freshman
Despite the ground game being the star of the show for the Gamecock offense through three games, true freshman wide receiver Mazeo Bennett Jr. has been getting it done through the air.
The four-star recruit out of Greenville is currently second on the team in receptions (six) and third in receiving yards (88), along with one receiving touchdown.
To being playing well in the SEC just weeks into his college career, this is where Bennett has always seen himself.
“This is my dream, every time I go on the field, I be like ‘man, this is my dream.’ I’m literally living my dream right now,” Bennett said. “I’m doing what I’ve always wanted to do.”
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After his first career touchdown, a 24-yard catch and run from LaNorris Sellers on a route that left him wide-open against Kentucky, Bennett was immediately congratulated by head coach Shane Beamer once he got to the sideline.
But regardless of who’s throwing the ball, Bennett is intent on simply doing his job and getting open.
“As a wide receiver, you just trust your quarterback to put you in the right position,” Bennett said. “You trust the offensive coordinator that he’s going to call the right stuff. And as a wide receiver, I just go out there and do my job. Whether that’s blocking, whether that’s running my route full speed, I’m just going to do what I’m supposed to do.”
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In a receiver room that includes a quality group of transfers (Jared Brown, Vandrevius Jacobs, Dalevon Campbell), three quality tight ends (Joshua Simon, Brady Hunt, Michael Smith), and an Olympic-level athlete (Nyck Harbor), Bennett has been able to see the field and make the most of his opportunities.
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His efforts haven’t been lost on the coaching staff, either, with Beamer praising him during his Tuesday press conference.
“He’s got a great competitive spirit about himself. He’s physical in the run game, and that’s what I love,” Beamer said. “A lot of times you see receivers, but particularly freshman receivers, in high school they were asked to go get open and catch the ball. Now we’re asking him to go in there and crack block, legally, on safeties or linebackers that are in the box, and he’s going in there and he’s throwing his body around … he’s a lot like the rest of our freshmen class, mature beyond his years.”
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After Akron this weekend followed by a bye week, a series of tough secondaries awaits the young receiver. Ole Miss comes to town, followed by road trips to Tuscaloosa and Norman to take on Alabama and Oklahoma, respectively.
But Bennett isn’t worried about that stretch of the schedule just yet. He’s focused on what’s next, which includes playing his first game under the lights at Williams-Brice Stadium this weekend.
“I’m more than excited,” he said. “Being a recruit, going to those games as a recruit, just being on the sideline, me being able to actually play in the game, be in the game, that’s something a recruit can only just dream of … now I’m in the game.”
