Posts: 1,065
Threads: 80
Joined: Aug 2017
Four dimensional analysis on Benjamin:
Services: 247 composite #363 (#34 CB), On3 consensus #372 (#39 CB), 247 #27 CB (the top corner in the nation outside the top 247), On3 #59 CB, Rivals #41 CB (5.7 grade, same grade as Jaden Slocum, Mitch Leigber, Jimmy Wyrick, Omari Porter, Salim Turner-Muhammad, Jonathan McGill, Stuart Head, Terrence Alexander, Zach Hoffpauir, Devon Carrington, Delano Howell though Howell came in as a RB), ESPN #276 (#30 CB)
Offers: Stanford, Boston College, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Connecticut, Duke, Georgia Tech, Iowa, Kansas, Liberty, Louisville, Marshall, Maryland, Massachusetts, Miami of Ohio, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, Nebraska, Northwestern, Penn State, Pitt, Purdue, Temple, Tennessee, Toledo, West Virginia, Western Michigan, Wisconsin
Production: West Bloomfield does not list stats at all on Maxpreps for any of Benjamin's years in high school, which is extremely annoying. According to the Maxpreps strength of schedule algorithm, Benjamin's level of competition is slightly below average in relation to other Shaw recruits. In track, he's got personal records of 22.60 in the 200 as a sophomore and 11.69 in the 100 as a freshman (did not run the 100 as a sophomore except in relays and has not yet had his junior track season). It will be interesting to keep tabs on him this spring but those are competitive marks. Adjusted for age they're maybe a tick on the faster side by Stanford standards. My best guess is a Jaden Slocum kind of athlete.
Highlights: The highlights show that Benjamin has played varsity football since the beginning of his freshman year. The freshman highlights, which show him playing a traditional cornerback position but almost exclusively feature plays reacting to run plays, included a pass defended and a fumble recovery. The most notable thing to me is they show a very forceful tackler by freshman standards. The sophomore highlights have much more of an emphasis on coverage and passes defended and also have a few highlights showing him make quality plays in punt coverage. The only notable opportunity to watch Benjamin against future major college football players that year came against Southfield, which had three fellow sophomores, a quarterback and two receivers, who join Benjamin as some of the top prospects in Michigan in the 2024 class and were therefore an interesting test. Benjamin exploded in that game with what appeared to be a pick six (coming out of center field on a bit of a jump ball), a 42 yard touchdown run on a jet sweep, two other passes defended, and two open field tackles near the line of scrimmage. He was matched up all game long against 3-star WR Tashi Braceful, so to have that production against a major QB throwing to a major WR is nice. The highlights for the Southfield QB, Isaiah Marshall, mostly victimized other players but did show him dropping a dime over Benjamin's shoulder to Braceful along the sideline for a 24 yard gain and completing a 10 yard slant to Braceful against Benjamin for a fourth down conversion. As a junior Benjamin reprised the match-up against Southfield and had a quieter game (which can also be a good thing for a cover corner), though he did have a pass breakup covering the slot receiver. Benjamin has not posted full season junior highlights yet but the season is over and all individual game highlights have been posted, so I think we have a good picture.
A very nice start to 2024 recruiting to get some momentum for a new coach who will need it with a roster in disarray. I especially like getting a quality DB out of the gate. Benjamin fits squarely in the mold of DBs Akina has recruited for years, but that level of recruiting far outpaces the pre-Akina norm, so this is a nice bequest to the new staff. The previous class is also currently very light on DBs, so it's nice to give Frausto-Ramos some company in the pipeline. On paper, both Frausto-Ramos and Benjamin would appear to be multi-year fixtures for Stanford at corner, though of course you never know. On a subjective level, some of Benjamin's interviews and highlights indicate a swagger, which is usually fun/needed at DB.