Rivals250 Benton announces final six schools
Markail Benton has no idea when he’ll make a verbal commitment. In fact, he hasn’t given the subject any thought at all. On that front, the Rivals250 linebacker has no timetable whatsoever. What he does have, however, is a top six.
And barring something unforeseen, his top group of schools is final. On Monday evening, Benton announced the list as such:
“It’s LSU, Alabama, South Carolina, Clemson, Florida State and Auburn,” he said. “As of right now, that’s the final list. It’s no order, but it’s just those six.”
And so the group of schools from which the Phoenix City (Ala.) High School star will choose seems set. As it turns out, so too are a few visits.
“I’m visiting LSU tomorrow,” Benton said on Monday. “On Saturday, I’m going to Alabama.”
IN HIS WORDS:
Alabama: “You know Alabama is in there. And Coach [Derrick] Ansley get along really well. They have a great campus, and Coach Saban is always going to win there at Alabama."
Auburn: “Me and coach [Travis Williams], we get a long really well. I consider him somebody who has made it. I feel like he can help me out to get where I want to be.”
Clemson: “Clemson is a great school. I talk to a coach from there every day and will visit soon.”
Florida State: “At FSU, you have Coach [Charles] Kelly. We’ve built a good relationship for a while. He’s my guy there.”
LSU: "I talked to LSU the other day. The whole defensive coaching staff talked to me, and they felt like family."
South Carolina: “It’s Coach Will Muschamp and Coach [Travaris Robinson] at South Carolina. I’ve known them since they were at Auburn, so that relationship is there too.”
RIVALS REACTION: Pulling a highly regarded player out of the state of Alabama is no easy task, so Auburn and Alabama have to be seen as the favorites to land Benton. South Carolina and Florida State might be the dark horses here. Of course, everything on that front could change as Benton takes visits. All six of the programs on his list have some semblance of chance to land the four-star prospect.