Interview: 3-Star 2020 Arizona OL Cade Bennett Updates Recruiting and Visits

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @RyanWrightRNG

On a hot Friday night in Arizona come September, if you want to take in what it looks like to see high school defensive linemen and linebackers get tossed around like rag dolls, stop in for a Notre Dame Prep game to see Class of 2020 lineman Cade Bennett in action. He will not disappoint.

If 5A Arizona defensive players wake up in the middle of the night seeing a No. 60 jersey pulling to their side, expect screams that will rattle the windows and turn young hair grey. Bennett gets after it looking to finish plays with his target on the ground and if lucky a 6-4, 295-pound, thump on top to finish it off; one can only feel sorry for tackles, ends, and linebackers. Bennett is an anchor on the Saints offensive line helping his squad to a 7-0 record. The team has rushed for nearly 1,600 yards thanks to 2020 tailback Dominick Mastro but the attack is not one-dimensional. Senior gunslinger Jake Farrell has passed for 1,849 yards with 25 scores giving Bennett equal opportunity to work on his overall game in the trenches.

The work put in by Bennett is being looked upon favorably by college coaches. To date, the Scottsdale area talent has five offers in front of him from Arizona, Arizona State, Iowa State, Syracuse, and Purdue with heavy interest picking up among Pac-12 programs.

In a Recruiting News Guru exclusive interview, I sat down with one of Arizona’s top offensive linemen in the 2020 class to learn more about his game that has netted a three-star ranking and his growing recruiting prospects.

Interview

Cade, the Saints offense has been plowing through the opposition this year averaging 48 points per game, what is working so well for that unit this year on the field?

“I think we have a lot of weapons. We can pound the ball down their throat, throw stretch passes, and quick passes. We have a good running back, quarterback, and receivers, and we are solid on the offensive line. We have a lot of talent and a lot of different ways to attack the other team.”

You are a key cog in the machine, how do you feel your season is going?

“I think my season is going great. I am showing improvements over last year. I have a better mentality this year. I am pancake blocking kids on every play. Last year I was just trying to make plays and block. Now I know what I am doing what I want out there. I am trying to kill the person across from me and protecting the quarterback. This has been a better year for me and the team, I hope to keep it up and see us make it far this year.”

Where are you showing the biggest areas of improvement from a year ago?

“My footwork and hand work. I train with Scott Peters. He played in NFL, he is the real deal. He shows me how to use my hands and manipulate the defensive linemen. Doing all the training in the offseason has really paid off this year on the field. It has made a huge difference in my game. I have a stronger punch. I have a lot of coaches working with me, I am trying to improve in all aspects of my game, I think I have. It is all up from here.”

You mentioned pancake blocks, that is something I wanted to ask you about. Do you guys track that because your reel is one pancake or knockdown block after another?

“We don’t stat it. I wish we did. I go through my film the next day and I figure out the number, but I don’t have that information in front of me.”

Tough to do this to you, but if you had a best guess how many total do you have or how many are you getting in each game?

“My best guess… I’d say my average for a good game is about 10 pancakes. I have had some in the 30s. I don’t think I have been lower than 10 this year. Typically I am between 10 to 15 or 15 to 20.”

There is always room for improvement in everyone’s game, is there an area you are constantly working on week in and week out?

“Yes. My footwork. That is the most important thing for a lineman. You can get caught off guard with poor footwork. My coaches have enforced that with me.”

Over the offseason, did you max out in the weight room?

“We don’t max out like everyone else. We go for sets of five or rep out a weight for an estimated max. My max on bench was 12 reps at 225. With squats, we front squat. I’ve done 5 sets with the last set of three at 375.”

Nice. Going into recruiting. Which schools are showing interest?

“Utah is showing a lot of interest right now, so is UCLA, Nevada, and Washington. I am getting mail from Notre Dame; they want me to come out for a game. Stanford and Colorado are showing a lot of interest as well.”

Have you started taking unofficial visits yet?

“Yes. I took an unofficial the week before fall ball, I went to Stanford. They let me try on the uniform and take pictures. That was a cool experience. I like the school. The school is prestigious. I have also been to an AU (Arizona) game and an ASU (Arizona State) game. I was there for Michigan State verses ASU, that was fun.”

Do you have any planned visits upcoming?

“On Saturday, I am going to UCLA. Before the game against Washington, I am going on a tour of their facilities. On Nov. 10, I am going to Stanford for a game against Oregon State. I am planning a trip to Notre Dame, we are thinking about being there for a game in November. I also have trips planned to Washington on Oct. 20 and Colorado on Oct. 27.”

Busy man. Last question. Did you get to watch any college football games on Saturday, if so, which games did you watch and what stood out to you?

“I watched the last 10 minutes of Ohio State verses Penn State, that was crazy, and I watched the Purdue game. They beat Nebraska. That game was surprising to me.”

Cade, I appreciate your time today and good luck with the upcoming games and visits.

“Thank you.”

Photo credit: Bennett family; Cade Bennett at Arizona and at Stanford