2021 Countdown to Kickoff: 67 Days Part I (Kahlil Benson)
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Written by Evan Orris
The Hoosier Huddle Countdown to Kickoff continues! There are just 67 days until Indiana’s first game of the season against the No. 16 Iowa Hawkeyes. Today, we will be profiling two players—Defensive lineman Christian Love and offensive lineman Khalil Benson.
Kahlil Benson
Southaven, Miss.
Offensive Line
Redshirt Freshman
6’6”/ 319 LBS
Coming out of Southaven High School, the 6-foot-4, 319-pound offensive lineman was a sought-after recruit. Khalil Benson, the former three-star recruit was the No. 17 prospect in Mississippi and the No. 38 offensive guard nationally by ESPN, had offers from Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Tennessee and LSU, but instead chose Tom Allen and the Indiana Hoosiers.
Benson came to Bloomington, Indiana in the fall of 2020, but fell victim to an ACL injury that caused him to miss the season.
"I just really hate this for him," Head coach Tom Allen said about Benson’s injury. "But awesome young man, we really got big plans for him. We know he's going to be a very very good football player for us, and that hasn't changed."
Before the injury, Benson was impressed the coaching staff with his size and physicality along the offensive line. He also received praise from Coach Allen for his leadership as a freshman and his pure personality.
“Adding Khalil Benson, big ol' offensive linemen out of Southaven, Mississippi, just really excited about him and his potential here, as is the case with all these guys. They've all got to come here and prove that they're what we think they're going to be,” Allen said.
“But just from the physical perspective, obviously a big one, you want them big, recruit them big. And he's long and has really good size, already 330 pounds plus. But just comes from a really, really great family. I loved getting to know him. And when you go to the school, just the kind of young man he is and the way he's viewed by the principal, AD, counselors, teachers, just really impressed. Getting a first-class young man that's going to come here, work extremely hard. And he's got tremendous ability to grow and develop in our program.”
For this upcoming season, Benson should take a redshirt season. The Hoosiers return seven offensive lineman who took snaps last season. That includes Tackles Caleb Jones and Matthew Bedford, Guards Dylan Powell, Randy Holtz and Mike Katic. The smart decision for Benson would be to redshirt to gain another year of eligibility, and to continue to recover from his ACL injury.