COLUMBIA — To ward off any game day jitters, South Carolina football freshman wide receiver Mazeo Bennett reminds himself of something.

"This is my dream, I am literally living my dream right now," Bennett said. "I am doing what I've always wanted to do."

Bennett had 3,754 all-purpose yards and 40 touchdowns at Greenville High School. The son of college player, and the brother of Zykiesis Cannon, who played at Louisville, Bennett pursued his dreams not far from home.

South Carolina was seeking its next top receiver after Xavier Legette was drafted into the NFL. Coach Shane Beamer said it's anyone's game, and could be a group effort.

Over the last month, it slowly turned into Bennett's game.

"I've always known my mindset, always knew what I wanted to do," Bennett said. "Going out there being myself, smart, being the kid who doesn't want to make the same mistakes twice, with that mindset it makes me comfortable so I can go out there and play my game."

Shane Beamer knew Mazeo Bennett loved to compete

Bennett's high school team came to South Carolina in 2023 for a 7-on-7 camp, and Bennett impressed.

"It was like a flipped switch, a light came on, and he just hit another gear when he's out there competing," Beamer said during preseason practice. "I saw it that day in 7-on-7 and I've seen that since he's come here as well. He's very smart, he knows what to do, he's accountable and he makes plays."

In Bennett's first college game, he had two receptions for 18 yards. Week 2 against Kentucky, quarterback LaNorris Sellers found Bennett wide open, throwing a 24-yard pass for Bennett's first college score and the first passing touchdown of the season.

In the days between Old Dominion and Kentucky, Bennett said the wide receiver motto was to do your job, and if the job is done, you'll be open.

"I was butt naked," Bennett said with a chuckle.

The day after the Kentucky game, when Bennett logged three receptions for 63 yards, Beamer said he was confident saying Bennett and Jared Brown are the Gamecocks' top two receivers. Brown leads with seven receptions and 98 yards, Bennett is second with six catches for 88 yards.

South Carolina's offense and Mazeo Bennett's impact

With a new quarterback, South Carolina's offense is evolving, as is Bennett.

Some plays are perfect and others, a mistake is costly, like against LSU when Bennett was called for offensive pass interference that took away a 43-yard gain for the Gamecocks. Against the Tigers, Bennett had one reception for 7 yards.

"I was running my route," Bennett said. "I didn't really know what it was but it's a call, have to deal with it, live to fight another day."

After Week 1, Beamer said receivers need to block better on the perimeter so the run game can succeed. On Tuesday, Beamer highlighted that skill in Bennett.

"He gets more and more confident, he's physical in the run game, that's what I love," Beamer said. "We're asking him to block safeties and linebackers, he's going in there, throwing his body around and he's just mature beyond his years."

Bennett would agree with the maturity aspect, a sentiment he echoed about himself, but said it's because of his teammates, who allow him to flourish.

"(I'm) a young guy that has a older guy mentality, I don't fool around too much, I'm about business on the field, but off the field I'm still a kid, I like to goof around with my guys, that's what we do in the wide receiver room," Bennett said.

"That's why we have that camaraderie being because you're able to be yourself, nobody feels afraid to be anything but themselves."

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Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: South Carolina football freshman Mazeo Bennett already a top receiver