Arrelious Benn
From NCAA College Football Information & Resource
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Arrelious Benn (Born Arrelious Markus Benn on September 8, 1988) plays wide receiver for the Illinois Fighting Illini in the NCAA college football tournament. Benn is described by scouts as a physical receiver and serious playmaker who possess great speed and can outrun defenders on vertical routes. A product of Dunbar high, Benn shone as a true freshman, providing the essential offensive sock the Illini lacked in their air attack. He emerged as the team's leading catcher with 54 catches for 676 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns, helping the Illini to a 9-3 regular season finish and earn a trip to the prestigious Rose Bowl. Benn's breakout rookie year was capped with a Big Ten Freshman of the Year accolades after setting new school freshman records in both receptions and receiving yards.
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[edit] Personal Life
Arrelious is one of five sons of Denise Benn who raised them as a single parent. He was named after Marcus Aurelius, an emperor.
[edit] High School
Benn attended Dunbar High School where he played under coach Craig Jeffries and was one of the most decorated high school prospect. Rated five stars by Rivals.com and a five star recruit by Scout.com, Benn recorded 50 catches, 1,147 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns as a junior. The Parade All-American, 2006 East U.S. Army All-American, and SuperPrep All-American then went on to finish his senior season catching 56 passes for 1,039 yards and nine touchdowns to go with his 9 yards per carry and 3 rushing TDs to earn for himself the 2006 DC Gatorade Player of the Year honors. Throughout his high school career, Benn aided Dunbar to four straight Turkey Bowls.
The Washington, DC native was also highly ranked by several publications, with Rivals.com naming him as the 17th-best player and no.2 receiver in the country and second-best DC-area player, Scout.com ranking him as the second-best wide receiver in the nation, PrepStar ranking him 19th on their 100 Team, SuperPrep including him in the Elite 50, and ESPN.com ranking him as the 17th best player in the country. His individual recognitions include the EA Sports Walter Payton Award for most-dedicated high school athlete and the SuperPrep MidAtlantic Offensive Player of the Year honors. His team accolades meanwhile include selections to the 2006 USA Today first-team All-America and The Washington Post All-Met first team (2005-06). Benn also earned the rare feat of becoming the first player in Dunbar High School history to surpass the 1,000 receiving yards mark.
[edit] College
Benn, who picked Illinois over Florida State, Notre Dame and Maryland, was a highly touted recruit out of high school as several publications including The Sporting News, CBS Sportsline, Street & Smith, Lindy's, ESPN.com, and Blue Ribbon predicted him to be one of the Big Ten's top newcomers. He showed a glimpse of what he can do during the 2007 spring game, where he caught 5 passes for 145 yards enroute to being named into The Sporting News' All-Spring team.
[edit] 2007
The Dunbar product reunited with former high school teammates Vontae Davis and Nate Bussey at Illinois, playing a key role in turning around one of the cellar-dwelling programs in the Big Ten. He made his collegiate start against Missouri where he caught 5 passes for 74 yards. He however set his career high in receptions against Penn State where he had 6 catches for 84 yards and his first collegiate touchdown reception. He also returned his first career kickoff 90 yards for a score against the Nittany Lions and earned for himself a "Helmet Sticker" from the ESPN College GameDay crew and a nomination for the AT&T All-America National Player of the Week Award for his performance. He also established his career high in receiving yards at 97 in a win against Ball State. Benn made his postseason debut against USC in the Rose Bowl, catching 5 passes for 80 yards and his second touchdown of the season in a 17-49 loss to the Trojans.
Benn ended the year as the Illini's leading receiver with 49 receptions and 596 receiving yards (both school freshman records), and placed 9th (tie) and 13th in receptions per game and receiving yards per game averages in the Big Ten, respectively. He went on to receive the Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors from both the media and coaches to become only the first Illini offensive player and just the second in school history to take home the award after defensive end Simeon Rice received the same recognition from the media only in 1992.
[edit] Highlights
| Arrelious Benn announces that he is joining the University of Illinois. |
[edit] Achievements
- 2007 Big Ten Freshman of the Year (Coaches & Media)
- 2007 The Sporting News Freshman All-Big Ten Offense
- 2007 The Sporting News Offensive Freshman of the Year
- 2007 ESPN College Game Day "Helmet Sticker" award (vs. Penn State)
- 2007 AT&T All-America National Player of the Week Award nominee (vs. Penn State)
[edit] References
- Arrelious Benn Illinois Profile
- Arrelious Benn Stats @ ESPN
- Arrelious Benn Wikipedia
- Q and A: Illinois’ Arrelious Benn
