‘Still the Crib’ … 4-star South Carolina WR commit checks out FSU for visit, camp

With FSU’s annual Mike Norvell Football Camps starting Wednesday morning with 7-on-7 and big man camps, high-profile recruits started arriving in Tallahassee on Tuesday afternoon.

This included a surprising visit from four-star wide receiver and South Carolina commit Mazeo Bennett. The talented playmaker out of Greenville, S.C., had not been back to Florida State since he committed to the Gamecocks in early February. But he had previously taken a visit to Tallahassee during the spring of 2022.

“Oh, it went pretty good,” Bennett said. “This was my first time being back here since I committed to South Carolina, so it was very refreshing for me.”

The receiver said it almost felt like a reunion as he made sure to talk to a good portion of the Seminoles staff, including head coach Mike Norvell, quarterbacks coach Tony Tokarz and receivers coach Ron Dugans.

“Coach Tokarz, Coach Dugans, Coach Norvell, they brought the whole staff out here to greet us and stuff, so that was pretty nice,” Bennett said.

According to On3, the 5-foot-11, 180-pound wideout is listed as the fourth-best player in the Palmetto State and the 24th-best receiver in the 2024 class. Before committing to South Carolina, the Tennessee Volunteers, North Carolina and Alabama were all seen as competitors on the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine.

As for the recruiting message Bennett received from Norvell and his staff, it was pretty simple.

“This the crib still — even though I’m committed to South Carolina, I’ve still got a place here,” the four-star prospect said. “They still want me just as much as they did before I committed. So, I mean, still the crib.”

Bennett will compete with the Greenville Red Raiders in the 7-on-7 tournament Wednesday and said he is excited for what Florida State can show him in the short time he is in Tallahassee

“Just the love that I feel here really,” he said. “I mean I’m going to see how it goes.”

Another prospect who was on campus and will be in the tournament tomorrow is 2025 four-star defensive lineman London Merritt.

Merritt is listed as the fifth-best defensive lineman for his class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, and the No. 11 player in the Peach State. This was the 6-2, 235-pound prospect’s first time at FSU, and the staff made a great impression.

“It was great … first impression was really good,” Merritt said. “We went to the field, got dressed out in uniforms and stuff [for pictures], went around campus a little bit. It was a great time. … I talk to pretty much everybody really.”

The coveted Georgia lineman has put out a top-12 list, with FSU included. And it’s safe to say the Seminoles are high on that list after Tuesday’s visit.

“They definitely moved up my list,” Merritt said. “Yeah, I dropped my top 12 and they were on there, and now they definitely moved up.”

Merritt will be back on Wednesday for camp, and he said he is looking forward to competing alongside teammate and FSU defensive back commit CJ Heard.

The defensive lineman said he will be playing linebacker and tight end for his team and wasn’t shy about predicting that their team will be victorious.

Stay connected with Warchant.com on Wednesday for live camp coverage.

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