From Sidney Rice to Deebo Samuel, South Carolina has put many of it's home-grown wide receivers into the NFL.
Freshman WR Mazeo Bennett Jr. is looking to one day join that list.
Despite playing just three collegiate games, he has emerged as a starter over experienced veterans in a deep wide receiver group. Bennett Jr. is one of many new faces that joined the Gamecocks' receiving corps before the 2024 season, but he is the only true freshman starter in the group.
The Greenville, South Carolina native officially joined the Gamecocks in January 2024, weeks after signing his national letter of intent with the program on Dec. 20, 2023. Bennett Jr. was rated a four-star prospect by 247Sports’ composite rankings and was listed on the site as a top-five prospect from the state of South Carolina.
He had previously been committed to the Tennessee Volunteers before de-committing in December 2022 and verbally committing to the Gamecocks on Feb. 3, 2023.
Bennett Jr. said the experience of spending four months with the program during the spring for early preseason practices helped him acclimate to South Carolina.
“Just being able to grasp the concepts as fast as I've been able to do it, that’s something that I can pride myself on,” Bennett Jr. said in an April press conference. “I take studying seriously … because the more that you know, the faster that they can put you on the field."
He joined a group of South Carolina receivers expected to replace the production of fellow South Carolina native and current Carolina Panthers wide receiver Xavier Legette during the 2024 campaign.
“Xavier Legette was a difference maker … you might not see one of those for ten years,” offensive Coordinator Dowell Loggains said before the season.
Some entered the season with reserved feelings on the team's ability to replace Legette, but Bennett Jr. was confident in his group.
"I like to just let people talk," Bennett Jr. said heading into fall preseason practices. "I feel like our work that we put in for this summer and throughout the spring is definitely gonna show out on the field so I feel like whatever you gotta say, you gotta come see us.”
A goal of Bennett Jr's heading into the season was to be a good teammate and dominate as he hoped to rise up the depth chart.
When the Gamecocks’ first depth chart of the season was posted, Bennett Jr. was one of many wide receivers listed on the South Carolina depth chart with an “or” next to his name.
This meant he was still in competition with his fellow receivers for that starting position as head coach Shane Beamer planned on getting a good look at all of his receivers in the team's season opener against Old Dominion.
“We’re going to play the whole ‘or' at the receiver position,” Beamer said to the media heading into ODU week. “I told the receivers this morning I’d be surprised if we didn’t play nine receivers on Saturday.”
Though the passing offense would not be a highlight of that contest, Bennett Jr. was one of three players on the team with two receptions, totaling for 18 yards.
Despite his low receiving numbers, Beamer complimented Bennett Jr.'s effort on perimeter blocking throughout the game. This is something he hoped members of the media had also taken notice to.
“He competed his rear end off in the perimeter blocking game and being willing to come down into the box,” Beamer said. “We need more of that.”
Bennett Jr. would receive the nod to be an official starter before South Carolina's SEC opener against Kentucky the following week. And it wouldn’t take too long into that start for him to score where he found himself wide open for his first career touchdown, which gave the Gamecocks an early 7-0 lead in what would be a 31-6 upset win.
“He (a teammate) took two, and I was butt-naked and we ended up scoring,” Bennett Jr. said after the game.
Loggians said plays like that are important for the freshman’s confidence.
“For Mazeo, it's not too big for him ... when things happen to young players like that it builds confidence” Loggians said. “When their confidence starts to grow, you start to see their personality and you start to see them perform better ... and that’s what Mazeo did.”
He would go on to have the game of his young career, catching three passes for a total of 63 yards to go along with his earlier touchdown. Those numbers would not include a first quarter reception that was called back due to a holding penalty.
He credited playing less “antsy” than he did in the Old Dominion game for his improved performance.
“This game I definitely felt more comfortable, more in myself,” Bennett Jr said. “I had a little bit of anxiety going into my first game at Willy-B but coming into Kentucky I had nobody to impress, we’re the away team.”
Redshirt freshman quarterback LaNorris Sellers said Bennett Jr. is a quick learner, who doesn’t make the same mistake twice in his Tuesday media availability heading into the game.
The following week's game against the LSU Tigers saw the wide receiver completing only one reception for seven yards, but the young wideout is third on the Gamecocks in receiving yards this season (88) through the Gamecocks' first three games.
Bennett Jr. and South Carolina will look to bounce back from their loss to the Tigers against the Akron Zips on Saturday, Sept. 21 at 7:30 p.m. under the lights at Williams-Brice Stadium.