SMU Offers Pleasant Grove’s Xavier Benson
Pleasant Grove 2018 linebacker Xavier Benson's recruitment continued to pick up steam Tuesday when he received his 10th Division I FBS scholarship offer.
Benson (6-0, 200) announced via Twitter that SMU became the latest school to join the pursuit.
Of the 10 offers, four have come from his home state of Texas -- SMU, North Texas, Texas State, and Texas Tech. Benson also has invitations from Arkansas State, Army, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, Southern Miss, and Tulane.
Benson is the third East Texan in the 2018 recruiting class to become a target of SMU, joining Van offensive lineman Kris Dike and Arp safety DeMarvion Overshown.
Last season, Benson helped guide Pleasant Grove to a third-round playoff appearance at the Class 4A Division II level and finished a 13-game campaign with 89 tackles as well as four total takeaways.
Pleasant Grove also used Benson as a heavy receiver in its Wing-T set. He caught nine balls for 122 yards and two touchdowns.
SMU coach Chad Morris, as he declared at a high school coaching clinic in Longview, is optimistic he has the pieces in place to make a serious run at the American Athletic Conference championship this season. Last year’s roster featured six local players, and two more signed with the program in February.
Morris’ 2016 team squandered a situation in which it needed to win just one of its final two games to achieve bowl eligibility. However, its final record of 5-7 was a three-win improvement compared to Morris’ first team in 2015 and a four-win improvement versus the 2014 squad.
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 February.
2018 East Texas Football Players With Division I FBS Offers
- Tre Allison, John Tyler, OLB, 6-0, 200 — committed to SMU; additional offers from Arkansas State, Louisiana Tech, Mississippi State, Texas State, Tulane, ULL (7)
- Chance Amie, Tyler Lee, QB, 6-3, 190 — offers from Arkansas State, Bowling Green, Central Florida, Colorado State, Georgia State, Houston, Iowa State, North Texas, Rutgers, Southern Miss, Syracuse, Tulane, ULL, Virginia (14)
- Xavier Benson, Pleasant Grove, LB, 6-0, 200 — offers from Arkansas State, Army, North Texas, SMU, Southern Miss, Texas State, Texas Tech, Tulane, ULL, ULM (10)
- Drake Centers, Tatum, OL, 6-4, 295 — offer from Texas State (1)
- Kris Dike, Van, OL, 6-6, 283 — offers from Colorado, Houston, North Texas, Oklahoma State, SMU, TCU (6)
- Dekalen Goodson, John Tyler, DE/OLB, 6-2, 215 — offers from Houston, Mississippi State, SMU, Texas State, Tulane, ULL (6)
- Trae Hall, Henderson, QB/ATH, 6-3, 185 — offer from ULL (1)
- Conner Henson, Harmony, OL, 6-4, 250 — offers from ULL, ULM (2)
- Chasen Hines, Marshall, OL, 6-3, 340 — committed to LSU; additional offers from Arizona, Baylor, Louisiana Tech, Minnesota, North Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Rice, Southern Miss, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas State, Texas Tech (16)
- Tevailance Hunt, Texas High, WR, 6-2, 180 — committed to Kansas; additional offers from Arkansas State, Bowling Green, Iowa State, Louisiana Tech, Marshall University, Nevada, North Texas, Southern Miss, Tulsa (10)
- Keaontay Ingram, Carthage, RB, 6-0, 198 — offers from Arkansas, Baylor, Colorado, Florida State, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, LSU, Memphis, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Oregon State, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, UCLA, USC, UTSA (27)
- Malik Jackson, Lufkin, WR, 5-8, 165 — offer from Arkansas State (1)
- DeMarvion Overshown, Arp, ATH, 6-4, 196 — offers from Alabama, Arizona State, Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, Clemson, Colorado, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Houston, Kansas, Kansas State, LSU, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, SMU, South Carolina, Southern Miss, Stanford, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, UCLA, USC, UTSA (30)
- Jonathan Shepherd, Kilgore, WR, 6-3, 196 — offers from Colorado State, Florida Atlantic, Kansas State, ULM, New Mexico, Oregon State, TCU (7)
- Tyree Wilson, West Rusk, LB, 6-5, 225 — committed to Washington State; additional offers from Kansas, Southern Miss, Texas State, ULL, ULM (6)