Take one look at Cade Bennett, standing at an athletic 6-foot-4 and 295 pounds, and it’s hard to imagine him getting “tossed around” on a football field.
But that’s what the class of 2020 offensive lineman said happened last year when he would go up against his senior teammates when he was a sophomore.
“Last year, I was the youngest lineman on the team, and I was the guy who was kind of getting tossed around,” Bennett said. “This year, I’m the leader and I’m setting the example for everybody.”
He was one of the few underclassmen who logged significant varsity minutes for the Saints last year on an extremely senior-laden team.
Now, Bennett is one of the elder statesmen on the Notre Dame offensive line.
“I’ve never been much of a talker,” Bennett said. “I’ve always been a lead by example guy but I’ll call breaks. I’ll do what I got to do to get them (ready) if we need it.”
As Bennett heads into his junior season, he already holds offers from Syracuse, Arizona, Arizona State and Iowa State. He also has received interest from programs like Stanford.
Given his size, Bennett is an imposing force on the field. While head coach George Prelock loves the physical attributes Bennett brings to to the field, it’s what his offensive lineman can do with that size that makes him an already heavily-recruited prospect.
“Being that powerful lineman, if we need him to pull, he can pull. If we need him to down-block, he can do that. If we just need him to drive people off the ball, he’s well-versed,” Prelock said. “It’s one thing to be 6-foot-4, 295 pounds, but to be 6-foot4, 295 pounds and a pretty good athlete makes my job easier, for sure.”
Notre Dame Prep kicks off their season on August 17th against Fairfax.
