Sam Houston State Offers Pleasant Grove’s Xavier Benson

Xavier Benson's 17th college scholarship option rolled in Wednesday.

Sam Houston State is the latest school in pursuit of the rising senior Pleasant Grove linebacker. Benson (6-0, 200) reported the news directly to ETSN.fm.

Pleasant Grove rose to fairly new heights this past season, and Benson helped anchor the defense. He recorded a team second-best 89 tackles and tied for the team lead in takeaways with four toward a third-round appearance in the Class 4A Division II state playoffs and a final record of 6-7.

If Benson likes the playoff format, Sam Houston State might fit the bill as the Southland Conference's premiere team in recent seasons.

The Bearkats have not missed the NCAA Division I FCS postseason since 2010 and have reached the national semifinals twice in the span.

Head coach K.C. Keeler has a 33-9 record through three seasons in Huntsville, including a perfect 11-0 regular season record in 2016 en route to elimination in the second round of the playoffs to eventual national champion James Madison. Keeler previously won a FCS national championship as the head coach at Delaware.

All that being said, it will be a challenge for any FCS team to land Benson.

The linebacker has 12 offers from the NCAA Division I FBS level, including an invite from Texas Tech among power five conference programs.

Benson, like all college football prospects currently in their junior year of high school, will become eligible to sign with any school that offers him in December.