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Vanderbilt visit surprises Benjamin

Tampa (Fla.) Tampa Bay Tech three-star wide receiver Richard Benjamin made his way to Vanderbilt this weekend along with some other Tampa-area prospects to check out the Commodores.
"I liked the trip," Benjamin said. "It was great. I didn't expect for it to be that way, but it was a really nice place. It was big-time fun."
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According to the 6-foot-1, 195-pound wide receiver, the most impressive thing to him about Vanderbilt isn't the stadium or facilities, but instead the people inside those buildings.
"I really like the people at Vanderbilt," Benjamin said. "I liked the atmosphere of the school."
One particular individual who stood out to Benjamin was James Franklin, the head coach of the Commodores.
"Coach Franklin said they have a lot of interest in me and they really want me," Benjamin said. "The thing I really liked about it is that you can talk to Coach Franklin about anything, whether it is football related or not related to football. He will talk to you about everything. He is a nice dude. He isn't always trying to be a coach, but also trying to be a father figure, along with the other coaches."
The wide receiver recruit was also able to talk about Vanderbilt with some of the current players.
"A few of the players talked with me, guys like Josh (Grady)," Benjamin said. "There are a lot of players on the team that were talking with me. They weren't pressuring me to commit. They were telling me to take my time. They just said that if I become a Commodore I will join the family and be another brother of the 'Dores."
Benjamin, who claims 30 offers, isn't quite ready to name a list of favorites at this stage.
"There are not really any schools sticking out," Benjamin said. "I am still open. I am just letting it go with the flow."
While he didn't name specific favorites, Benjamin admits that some schools have done enough to put themselves in a good position for the long-run. Vanderbilt is one of those schools.
"Most definitely, Vanderbilt is a school that will be in it until the end," Benjamin said.
Another school likely to fall in that category is Florida, as they have regularly been amongst Benjamin's favorites throughout the process.
Benjamin is planning to attend South Florida's spring game this weekend. This summer he will take a tour of numerous schools including Clemson, Georgia, and Tennessee.
As a junior, Benjamin played at Middleton where he contributes on both sides of the ball as well as on special teams. He accumulated nearly 1,000 offensive yards on his junior season.
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