Fast-rising OLB/DE Chico Bennett Jr. ready to see Tennessee again
Chico Bennett Jr. has lived in Germany, Kansas, Kentucky and Virginia twice, but the well-travelled Battle Ground Academy prospect has settled into his new home in Tennessee quite nicely.
The 6-foot-4, 205-pound athlete came to Nashville less than a year ago in hopes of expanding his football horizon. A proud son in a military family, Bennett actually left his parents in Northern Virginia and moved in with his uncle and cousin, 2020 corner Briston Bennett.
Following an impressive first season with BGA, colleges have quickly taken notice of Bennett Jr.’s upside as a pass rusher, with new offers from Cincy, Western Kentucky, Virginia, Purdue, Vandy and Tennessee in just the last three weeks.
“It’s all just exposure,” Bennett Jr., said. “It’s totally changed. (BGA head coach) Roc Batten was able to get me the right exposure with the right coaches, and now my recruitment has come a long way. And it’s growing even more. I definitely appreciate him and without him and his role, I wouldn’t be here.”
Bennett’s path to Nashville has certainly been unique, but he’s come full circle a bit, as his father Chico Sr., was born there and grew up rooting for the Vols. Now, Chico Jr., is hoping to follow his father’s footsteps a D-1 athlete, as his dad played cornerback for Hawaii in the early 1990s.
“My dad played for Hawaii, but he grew up watching and cheering for Tennessee,” Bennett said. “When I was a kid in Virginia, we would always be watching Tennessee games. I would come downstairs and ask, ‘Who are we watching?’ And my dad would say, “Those are the Vols, man. The Big Orange.”
Three weeks ago, Bennett Jr. finally got his chance to see Big Orange and Neyland Stadium in person, as head coach Jeremy Pruitt invited him and his cousin up for a visit. When they arrived on Rocky Top, Chico and Briston Bennett expected to tour the campus in a group with other underclassmen. Instead, they were pulled off to the side, and Bennett Jr., and his cousin received individual attention from Tennessee’s staff.
They toured the facilities, the academic center and met the strength and conditioning staff, with Pruitt personally talking with Bennett Jr. and leaving him speechless in the process.
“He told me the story on how he (found) me,” Bennett explained. “Coach (Pruitt) said he was driving and was on his way to see some other prospects when he got a call from one of his guys and said, ‘Man, you have to check this kid out.’ So he watched the film and and it was me. I guess they enjoyed it and saw my potential.
“So, they had me come up there and then as he was telling the story how coach (Nick) Saban has to sign off on the real offers at Alabama, so he told me he wanted to offer me a scholarship to Tennessee.
“I was in shock. It totally surprised me. I was like, ‘Wow. Thank you so much.’”
While Bennett Jr., plays both ways for the Wildcats, most schools see him as an outside linebacker or defensive end. The 2019 prospect has a raw athleticism, with long arms and 4.5 speed. He played wideout almost exclusively before getting to BGA last fall.
“Coach Pruitt said he wants to put me at 240 pounds, easy,” Bennett Jr. said.
“I had never played a down of defense in my life before last year. When I first got there to BGA, I was talking to my coach, who said we play both sides of the ball. I looked at him like, ‘Yea. That’s what you think. But not me.’ But I put my mindset to playing defense and I gave it a try, worked hard and it worked out.”
Bennett admits at times he didn’t know exactly what he was doing on defense, relying mostly on instincts. Still, he finished his junior season with 69 tackles, 17 sacks and 23 tackles for loss — all while playing with a torn labrum most of the year.
Since Batten has helped promote his film, Georgia, where he’ll visit this weekend, Clemson, Michigan State, Iowa, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech and Kentucky have all reached out recently.
Bennett Jr., believes his recruitment is set to explode, especially as he “improves learning how to stop the run” and continues to add weight to his frame. “No one knew that was my first time playing defense,” he said. “I’m going to get better.”
While he’s in no hurry to make his collegiate choice, the Vols have made a nice early impression and Bennett Jr. will be back on campus on March 3.