Alonso QB C.J. Bennett commits to Wyoming

Alonso quarterback C.J. Bennett could have held out for a scholarship offer from another Division I college, but it turned out that his best offer was his first and only -- and now the Ravens' gunslinger has found his college home out west in the mountains of Wyoming.

Bennett, Hillsborough County's leading passer last season, said he committed to Wyoming on Wednesday. Bennett chose the Cowboys over offers from Division I-AA schools Georgia Southern, Eastern Illinois, South Alabama, Towson, Elon and Fordham.

"They were my first offer and they showed me the most attention," Bennett said. "They definitely cared about me."

Bennett said that new Cowboys coach Dave Christensen, who came to Wyoming this offseason after being the offensive coordinator at Missouri, likened Bennett to former Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel, a fellow undersized quarterback who became a Heisman Trophy finalist and led Missouri to back-to-back Big 12 championship games.

"That was the first thing he said to be, was that my film looked a lot like what they ran at Missouri," Bennett said. "What would be better than running that same offense in Chase Daniel's footsteps?"

The 6-foot, 200-pound rising senior threw for a county-high 3,017 yards and 29 touchdowns last season in the Ravens' pass-happy offense. Alonso advanced to the Class 5A region quarterfinals. 

Bennett considered holding out for a more prestigious offer, but said playing in Wyoming's spread offense was too good an opportunity to pass up.

"I really want to play in that type of offense," Bennett said. "And you don't want anybody else to take your space. The longer you wait, especially as a quarterback, there's the chance that someone else could take your spot. I didn't want that."

Rivals.com ranks Bennett as a three-star prospect and rated him the 27th best pro-style quarterback in the country and tops in Florida.

-- EDUARDO A. ENCINA

Comments

[ravens]

congrats to CJ ,great kid and dad . look forward to seeing him at the next level . go ravens !!!

[blue and white fight]

congrats! this kid is legit, the only reason he doesn't have more D-I offers is his height. But 6'0 will get the job done, especially when all your snaps are from the shotgun.