The nation’s No. 1 junior college prospect in the country, Malik Benson wants to put his own stamp on Alabama football.
Benson is considered the top JUCO prospect, according to multiple recruiting outlets, and he is currently verbally committed to Alabama. He is set to sign with the Crimson Tide Wednesday and enroll at UA in January.
The Kansas native has spent the last two years at Hutchinson Community College, putting up big receiving numbers. He captured the school’s career receiving yards record earlier this season. After helping Hutchinson reach the NJCAA D1 National Championship game, the Tide pledge is ready to take what he learned during his time with the Blue Dragons to Tuscaloosa.
“My mindset is just going to be exactly what it was,” Benson told Touchdown Alabama. Another reason why I picked Alabama is because it was just like Hutch. Our standard is to play to get it done, regardless of how it has to get done. My goal is to play for a National Championship and just to show people why we are Alabama, no matter who we are playing. I don’t care if we are playing the worst team. I don’t care if we are playing the best team.”
Benson chose Alabama over offers from Georgia, Tennessee and others. The Tide offered the JUCO prospect in March, and he knew where he was going after that moment.
“I’m all about setting goals before the season,” said Benson. “In the spring season, my goal that was boxed in with big letters was get offered by Alabama. I had been knowing if I got that offer, that’s where I’m going. I talked to them a little bit, built that relationship. Once they finally offered, I already knew where I was going just because coming out of JUCO and really before that, like as a kid, you just watched the success that Alabama has had, national championships and it’s just like the greatness that they have shown and all the players they had at my position, receivers like DeVonta Smith, Amari Cooper, Jameson Williams. I’m not going to have a lot of time out of JUCO, so I want to go to a program that is going to push me to my limits, make me the best version of me and better. I’ll be a national champion if we do what we have to do. So, it was just like, no doubt that’s what I’m going with.”
Hutchinson leaned on Benson to be a playmaker during the 2022 football season. He finished the year with 977 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns.
Watch Malik Benson Highlights Below:
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Justin Smith is a Scouting/Recruiting analyst for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via @Jdsmith31Smith
