Malik Benson still has two more official visits to take, and he’s probably still weeks away from announcing his college decision. But coming off his third official visit in the past four weekends, he now has a leader in mind among his five current favorites.
The four-star Class of 2023 wide receiver from Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College said Tennessee is “at number one now” following his official visit with the Vols this weekend. He said his weekend stay in Knoxville turned out to be his “best visit” to this point, and he “really felt at home” while he was there.
“If I’m going to be real with you, I really have Tennessee at number one now, just because, out of the three visits that I’ve seen, this has been the best visit altogether — the people, the places, the offense, what this can do for me and my family,” said Benson, who’s ranked by 247Sports as the No. 1 overall junior-college prospect in the 2023 class.
“Just everything, how they have put it out, I really enjoyed my time here. But I know I have two more visits, so I’m going to go and see what those have for me.
“When it’s all said and done, I feel like I’ll know where I want to go. But just right now, how I’m feeling — Tennessee.”
The 6-foot, 183-pound Benson went to Oregon the weekend of May 20 and LSU last weekend on his first two official visits. He said he plans to visit Alabama on Wednesday through Friday before traveling to Georgia next weekend for his fifth and final official visit.
For now, though, he said the Vols are at the top of his list. That’s not something he would have said before making the trip to Tennessee this weekend, but he said the visit “most definitely” surpassed his expectations.
“I can’t even lie. They were not the leader before,” Benson said. “But just being out here, seeing it, they jumped. It’s just crazy.
“I shouldn’t say, in my mind, I want to go here. But I feel like, just like with anything, you kind of just know. You just kind of know something that you want. But then, when you see something and get to experience something, you know, obviously, it’s going to take a whole new roller coaster. You’re going to have different types of emotions.”
Tennessee coach
Josh Heupel’s staff has made Benson a priority since extending a scholarship offer to him in late February. He has built a strong relationship with the Vols over the past few months, led by first-year wide receivers coach
Kelsey Pope and offensive coordinator
Alex Golesh.
Benson said he liked what he heard from Tennessee’s coaches this weekend about his opportunity in the Vols’ offense, along with the feedback he received from some of Tennessee’s current players.
“I wasn’t expecting it to go how it did,” he said. “I loved the way everything turned out, being down here with my family, seeing everything, seeing how they’re going to use me. … And then, just talking to some players, it really felt at home for me.
“I haven’t seen Alabama or Georgia. But (after) three out of the five visits, I’m just really enjoying the whole process and just taking in everything.”
He said he “understood the offense” before arriving on campus, but he was able to get a better feel for the Vols’ fast-paced system once Golesh and Pope were able to “actually break it down.”
“Coming is a junior-college guy, I’ve got the opportunity to really shine in this offense with my speed,” Benson said. “I feel like that’s my biggest asset, and they just stress, like, ‘Tempo, tempo, tempo.’ Them putting me in space, the one-on-one matchups that I’ll get with corners, and then they’ll also put me in the slot. I like that.
“They’re not just making me just an outside guy. They see more of my game and know that I can develop and all that, and they’re going to have me do both.
“I just like the fast-paced tempo, the offense that they run. I really feel like, with my skill set, I can really take off in this kind of offense.”
Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton, a former Michigan transfer who joined the Vols a little more than a year ago, served as Benson’s player host this weekend. He said Milton spoke highly of “the culture change” he has seen throughout Tennessee’s program since last year.
“He said he likes the culture,” Benson said of Milton. “Everybody wants to get work in.”
Benson said he also has developed a strong connection with Pope, who was promoted in March to replace former Tennessee wide receivers coach
Kodi Burns.
“One thing I like about Pope is he’s young,” Benson said. “A lot of other receiver coaches, they’re a little older. They’ve got a resume, which is good. But I feel like it’s more like, me and him, we connect almost on, like, a level that I don’t connect with the other receiver coaches. … So I feel like, just having Pope, that’s a good dude. He’s a true dude.
“And then Golesh, I just like the energy. When he talks about me, he always has a smile on his face. I just feel like he’s just good people, and I feel like he’s going to do what he has to do to get me the ball. As a receiver, that’s what I want, is the ball.
“Just seeing what the past receivers have done in this offense, with 64 touches, I feel like someone like me — with my speed, all the different route combos, option routes that they use — shoot, if I touch the ball 64 times, I feel like I can achieve any goal that I have,” Benson added, referring to Tennessee senior wide receiver
Cedric Tillman’s team-leading 64 receptions last season.
Benson, who plans to arrive at the school of his choice in January as an early enrollee, said he expects to make his decision next month. He said he currently believes he’s likely to announce his commitment on July 11.
“I finish up next week with Alabama from Wednesday to Friday, and then Georgia from Friday to Sunday. And then my mom gets married July 2nd, so I want to probably have my commitment date around, like, (July) 10th through 12th. It’s going to be one of them days through there,” he said.
“I’ll probably go with the 11th because, at Hutch, I wore number 11. Then, I dropped a top 11. Eleven’s kind of special to me, so, yeah, I’m going to go ahead and say it. It’ll probably be July 11.”
