In my own words: Bennett Meredith
Hoover (Ala.) quarterback Bennett Meredith may be the classic later bloomer. Unlike most power five signal-callers he didn't generate much recruiting buzz prior to his senior year. A 2021 campaign where he posted 2,212 passing yards, 23 touchdowns, and a 115.3 QB rating naturally changed that. The former Northwestern pledge shares with us what drew him to ASU, the appeal of this Sun Devil offensive scheme, and the Importance of arriving on campus for the spring semester.
“I started out playing flag football actually, and then tackle football in fourth grade. I’ve always been thrown in the quarterback spot and always excelled at that position. I really fell in love with it at a young age, and I was eager to learn more and grow as a quarterback. My whole career, I always wanted to be the best when I picked up the ball and always strived to be really good at what I did. So quarterback is the position I played from day one. Playing quarterback is in my genes. My grandfather played quarterback at Auburn. My dad played quarterback in high school and then played in Georgia, but he didn’t play quarterback there. Growing up around either former quarterbacks or quarterbacks. I just grew up as a quarterback too.
“Born and raised in Alabama, it’s crazy how seriously these people take football down here, even when you play at a young age. But I’m one of those people myself, so I can’t talk too much. It just comes along with playing at a high level. The people put so much time and effort into you, so they expect you to succeed. I don’t see it really as a lot of pressure. I love the position, and I love the pressures of it. I love all the praise, and obviously, I know the hate comes playing at the position. It’s all part of it. Around age 11 is when you don’t hand off the ball as much, and you start to throw it around a little bit. It was a blast. I loved it. That’s when I knew that this was what I wanted to do.
“Growing up, I never had any doubt that I was going to end up playing power five football. I’m not the highest recruited kid. But a lot of things are different in Alabama…how seriously people do take football, and the sizes of the high schools. So I didn’t get thrown into the (recruiting) mix until my junior year. The fact that there were 3,400 kids at the school, certainly a couple of them are going to be able to throw the football around. So I took over my junior year and started picking up almost immediate interest, especially in the region we’re in. We’ve got some of the top football players in this 50-mile radius. It was surreal hearing from schools that you’ve grown up watching. It’s an awesome experience.
“For sure, it was hard to be patient with the recruiting process. Especially considering I’m really good friends with all the kids in the area that are signed with power five teams, and I was throwing right next to them (in 7-on-7 tournaments, etc.). I’d be like, ‘mom and dad, I’m as good as him if not better than them.’ I was a little confused on why things were happening the way they were happening. But in the end, it all worked out. I’m right where I wanted to be, and I couldn’t be more grateful.
“I committed to Northwestern (on Oct. 27, 2021) in a week span after that, I had an ASU offer and a Maryland offer. I’d been on the phone with Texas. University of Florida showed significant interest as soon as their new staff came in, and right before signing day (Dec. 15, 2021), I was talking to them. At that point, when I committed to Northwestern, things were still pretty slow. With a lot of senior quarterbacks, you don’t see a lot of recruitment heat up (late in the season), and they were my first power five team to pull the trigger. We committed on the spot (after Northwestern offered), but then we saw what was coming after that. So we backed off of it so we could make the right decision for me and my family.
“I’d been in contact with Arizona State around week seven (of Meredith’s senior year) before I committed to Northwestern. (ASU offensive coordinator) Zak Hill is the first coach that contacted me, and also (Quarterbacks coach) Trey Anderson. They both told me that they really liked my game. They said that if they were going to take a quarterback in 2022, they wanted it to be me. And really, from the first phone call with them, I knew that’s where I wanted to be. I liked the way he (Hill) treated the process. He was upfront and honest with me about every single thing they were doing, and we clicked well together. Our personalities matched. He’s a great coach, great guy, and I’m excited to get to work with him.
“Coach Hill liked my ability to create and make plays off schedule and off-platform. He really liked my ability to improvise. He also said that I have enough arms strength to make the big-time throws that I need to make. He loves my ability as a leader and as a cerebral guy, too, when we got up on the (white) board during my official visit. He said that’s what they needed at the quarterback spot was a natural true leader. I think I can bring that to the table.
“With all the coaching madness going on, the first thing I asked Coach Hill was: ‘are you going to be here?’ And he said, ‘yes, I’m going to be here.’ Obviously, you can’t make your decision based on one coach at a spot because you never know what’s going to happen. That was a big thing for me, whether Coach Hill was going to be there or not, because we did develop that relationship. He told me I fit into his system, and I wanted to play for him. That was the biggest question for me, but we got that right off the table. It was kind of weird hearing that Auburn wanted to hire him because we’re live and die Auburn in my household. That’s why I never announced my commitment publicly. We were going to see how things played out. Not saying that I wouldn’t have ended up still at ASU, but we were going to see how everything plays out before we jumped into a situation. But that cleared up, for sure, and ASU is where he wants to be, and I’m excited to play for him. It’s going to be an awesome experience.
“On my official visit, what blew me away was how pretty the area was. I’d never been out that way. We flew in, and the first thing I saw was this beautiful Par 5 golf course. I was like, ‘Wow, this place is awesome.’ The mountains and the whole area was pretty unreal. I’m glad I’m going to be getting to call that my home for the next few years. The game atmosphere (against Arizona) really sealed the deal with me. It was amazing. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted. George Hart, their running back, hosted me, and I hung out with some offensive linemen there too. They all were super cool and made me feel right at home. It was an awesome experience. And I feel I’m going to fit right into the mix. I’m a big question guy. So I was picking his (Hart’s) brain. We talked about everything, the workouts, and the whole team environment. We talked about Coach Herm a ton, and he had nothing but great things to say about him and backed up what Coach Herm showed me in person. We talked about the opportunity that was there for him because he’s a walk-on, and he said that everyone gets treated fairly and that the best player is going to play no matter who it is - a walk-on guy or a scholarship guy. That showed me how they run things, and it was very comforting to me.
“When I first met Herm Edwards, it was funny because I was walking into his office, and I was like, ‘I’m about to sit down and have a conversation with Herm Edwards.’ And the first thing he does when he sees me is give me a big ol’ hug. I’m thinking, ‘this guy’s awesome.’ He’s one of those guys that you are sweating a little bit going into the meeting. But he’s the most personal guy I’ve ever been around. You can’t get much better of a résumé than his either, as far as a coach. So I’m super stoked and excited to get to be able to play for him. He told me, ‘The Pac-12 is up for grabs, Bennett. We need someone to lead us to it, and I think you can do that. It was a done deal for me after our conversation. It was awesome. It was remarkable.
"I had a lot of questions before the visit, and I didn’t think I was going to come away from the visit, knowing that this was where I was going to end up. But that’s what happened. I told my mom and dad, who were with me on the visit, that this is where I wanted to commit. But I also said, ‘Let’s talk about this on the flight home. We’ll give him a call when we get back. Let’s let everything settle down.’ Obviously, I didn’t want to rush into another decision as I did. But at the end of the day, coming to Arizona State was the ultimate decision for me.
“Talking to Coach Hill and watching film, I could tell that this system is so quarterback friendly. Playing with the athletes out there in the West, you can’t, can’t really find any better. So I’m excited for the opportunity to throw to some ballers and be in a quarterback-friendly system, take hold of the reigns and run with this thing. Coming in the spring, I want to get my feet up under me. Get a good semester down academically and athletically. Use all the resources they’re providing for me that maybe a high school could not provide for me. Being able to be there in spring ball was huge for me, watching Jayden Daniels do his thing…I feel I’m going to learn a lot from him. It will be good to get the mental and physical reps, get used to the speed of the game in the spring rather than being thrown into it during fall camp.
“I’m coming to learn, I’m coming to compete, I’m coming to push everyone in that quarterback room. I’m coming to do all of the above. I want to play, whether that’s taking a spot or whether that’s me sitting behind Jayden and learning reps because he’s been in the system for four years, and there’s no one better to teach it as a mentor. But I’m coming to push him and hopefully make him better, too, because that’s ultimately what’s best for the team. I’m really excited to see a high-caliber guy like him in a high-caliber system and learn some things along the way. Playing early or not didn’t really have any impact on my decision. I’m going to let God do his thing and take the course, and I’ll get on the field when I’m supposed to.”
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