He holds 30 offers, including all the major state schools and a number of huge BCS offers outside of the state, but says that his recruitment is wide open.
“I’m wide open, I’m just taking it easy right now,” Tampa Bay Tech wide receiver Richard Benjamin says. “There is really no school that is standing out.”
Benjamin has visited Florida, Florida State, Miami and South Florida and says that he has enjoyed all of those schools and really likes the atmosphere at them all. The key to his recruitment, and what is possibly holding him back from narrowing down his choices, is that he has yet to leave the state.
He will travel on a bus tour with Unsigned Preps on June 9 – 15 making stops at Auburn, Tennessee, Clemson and Georgia.
“It will be my first time visiting out of the state,” Benjamin says. “Clemson and Georgia stand out from the bus tour.”
Benjamin is a member of Team Tampa which finished 2nd in the IMG 7-on-7 Madden Tournament – a feat that Benjamin says shows Tampa’s dominance.
“It was a good experience to just play with the best guys in Tampa and play against all the guys across the state from Miami to Orlando and everything,” he says. “We showed Tampa is the spot. Tampa is the place to be where all the players are from.”
Benjamin is close with the entire team, but says he has a special bond with cousin Leon McQuay III and friend Vernon Hargreaves III. He says that the three have talked about trying to find a school that is the right place for all of them and commit together, but talks are more intimate with McQuay.
“Me and Leon talk about it a lot … You never know, you just never really know,” he says. “We just have to make sure the decision is right for both of us. I think its what we both want [to go to school together] but it’s got to be a smart decision and fit both our goals.”
Although close, the two are very different. McQuay is quite, likes music and keeps to himself, says Benjamin.
“Me, I’m funny and kind of outspoken,” Benjamin says. “I’m not into music like him [Leon]. I’m not gonna lie, outside of football I like to sleep,” he said with a laugh.
Benjamin’s recruitment will surely be a fun one to keep track of. He will visit South Florida on Friday to watch the Bulls practice before heading up to Gainesville to watch the Gators play in their spring game.
He’s not sure where the recruitment trail will take him this summer, but he says that he continues to work hard and will continue to inform himself to make the best decision for his future.
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Kyle is a recruiting analyst for Big County Preps. You can email him at Bennett@bigcountypreps.com and follow him on Twitter @KyleBennettBCP.