2017 4* LB Markail Benton (Bama 6/10/16)

[WarEagleAU 0]

Committed to Bama 6/10/16

Markail Benton, LB

Phenix City, AL (Central)

6-2 / 214 / 4.50

- Visited Auburn 6x+ (2/20/16, 1/17/2016, 9/12/15, 3/19/15, 6/14/14, 3/7/14)

- Recruiters: Lashlee, Williams

Offers: Alabama, Auburn, Cal, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisville, LSU, Michigan, Miss State, Missouri, North Carolina, Ole Miss, Samford, South Carolina, Tennessee and USC, among others.

Twitter

247Sports: 4* #2 OLB

Rivals: 4*

Scout: 4*

ESPN: 4*

Hudl Highlights

[WarEagleAU 0]

That would be great start for the 2017 class with two 5* players if Benton commits. I think he'll be on commit watch for 2017 class.

[amsterjam 107]

Don't we have a player ot two who went to that high school?

[mrdude 3]

Don't we have a player ot two who went to that high school?

John Broussard is a 2016 commit from that school. There are no current schollied players on roster from Central- Phenix City.

Isn't Jonathan Wallace from Phenix City?

[ellitor 33,062]

Don't we have a player ot two who went to that high school?

John Broussard is a 2016 commit from that school. There are no current schollied players on roster from Central- Phenix City.

Isn't Jonathan Wallace from Phenix City?

Yes. Forgot about him.

[chimesAU 89]

Confused as to why title lists him as 5* but op has unanimous 4*.

[JFDTiger80 790]

Something is wrong here. In the OP it shows 4'stars with many services, but no 5 stars. The thread title says 5'stars. I need the truth.....what is the truth?

[ellitor 33,062]

Confused as to why title lists him as 5* but op has unanimous 4*.

Because Individual site star rating has no bearing on composite star rating. Any player who has an average ranking of 42.5 or better from the 4 sites is a composite 5 star regardless of the stars they have on any site.

[AU_Tiger_88 417]

Something is wrong here. In the OP it shows 4'stars with many services, but no 5 stars. The thread title says 5'stars. I need the truth.....what is the truth?

[chimesAU 89]

Confused as to why title lists him as 5* but op has unanimous 4*.

Because Individual site star rating has no bearing on composite star rating. Any player who has an average ranking of 42.5 or better from the 4 sites is a composite 5 star regardless of the stars they have on any site.

Interesting...never knew that. Kind of strange but thanks, e.

[ellitor 33,062]

AU with work to do to land Benton

Auburn has hosted a bevy of recruits in recent weeks, from official visitors in January to rising juniors in February.

One prospect, Markail Benton, has been a regular on those trips, but the four-star linebacker dispelled the idea that he’s leaning towards the Tigers.

“No, I would not say that. I just go to Auburn a lot because it’s right up the road,” said Benton, the No. 6 outside linebacker in the country.

“Plus, I have a teammate (John Broussard) that goes there now.”

He continued: “(Broussard) likes it a lot and told me that it’s a great opportunity for me if I were to go there, too. He told me to pick whichever school I like the most, though.”

Benton, who resides minutes away from Auburn in Phenix City, is considered one of the program’s top linebacker targets in the 2017 recruiting cycle. Offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee and first-year linebackers coach Travis Williams have led the Tigers’ recruiting efforts for the 6-foot-2, 227-pound prospect. After losing three linebackers to graduation, Auburn was only able to sign one at the position in 2016 to offset the losses.

But the Tigers’ need to bolster the position won’t be enough to sell Benton, who is also considering Alabama, Mississippi State, Georgia and Florida State. Benton unofficially visited Alabama on Feb. 27 and came away impressed with how defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruittruns his defense. He plans to visit Tuscaloosa again next week.

When asked if an in-state battle is brewing, Benton replied, “I wouldn’t say that, but I would say those two schools are at the top of my list right now in my top five along with Mississippi State, Florida State and Georgia.”

[ellitor 33,062]

Free read from the ATL Opening Regional

Atlanta, Ga.--One of the top linebacker prospects in the country, four-star Markail Bentonfrom Central High Phenix City, Ala., put his talents on display Sunday at the Nike Opening Atlanta Regional and left with his golden ticket for the finals in Oregon in July. Showing his athleticism and quickness on a 237-pound frame, Benton stood out among a talented group of linebackers on hand at the camp.

A player who has been on the radar for top college programs for almost two full years, Benton has offers from top programs from all over the country but currently five are standing out to him as he prepares for spring practice with the Red Devils with the in-state schools at the top.

“Right now I would say Alabama and Auburn are my top two,” Benton said. “Florida State, Mississippi State and Georgia are in my top five.”

Recently visiting the Auburn Tigers along with several other top in-state linebackers such as K.J. Britt, Tadarian Moultry, Monty Rice, Jamal Brooks and Tadarrius Patterson to see the Tigers, Benton said one thing that stands out about them right now is linebacker Coach Travis Williams. A former All-SEC player for the Tigers, Williams has built a strong bond with many of the top linebackers in the 2017 class and Benton is no exception.

“I’ve got a great relationship with Coach T-Will,” Benton said. “He’s a guy that has been to Auburn, played at Auburn, and went to the next level. I think that’s good for an athlete like me or another athlete because learning from somebody who’s already been there and you’re trying to get to where he’s been, that’s good.

"I promise you I talk to Coach T Will 24/7," he added. "We probably talk seven days out of the week."

Photo by Jason Caldwell - Benton wears Auburn gear at the Atlanta Regional for The Opening.

The need for linebackers is something that Benton said is important for him because he wants the chance to play early. It's also important because other players in this class recognize the same thing. One of them being fellow four-star Will Ignont.

"We have talked about Auburn a while back," Benton said. "He was saying that he was getting recruited by Auburn, too, and they don't have any linebackers. We've talked about it.

"You might as well get other guys to group up and go to school with you so you have other winners around you so that you can win."

Already very familiar with Alabama well, the two-instate schools will have a battle from Florida State with the Seminoles on Benton’s list since very early. With Kirby Smart now at Georgia that has the Bulldogs high on his list. Last but not least is Mississippi State with Central teammate Jamal Couch headed to Starkville to play.

With five schools in the hunt and originally plans to make a decision sometime in the coming weeks, Benton said he’s now decided to take things down until the end and commit in his final high school game in front of a national television audience.

“I’m going to wait until January at the Under Armour All-American Game,” Benton said. “I’m just waiting to build some suspense.”

[mcgufcm 4,096]

For my money, this guy and Chandler Wooten are the top two targets. I like some height and ranginess from my LBs, and both guys look like they have some Dansby/Thomas type of versatility/potential in their game and measureables.

[WarDamnEagleWDE 12,737]

For my money, this guy and Chandler Wooten are the top two targets. I like some height and ranginess from my LBs, and both guys look like they have some Dansby/Thomas type of versatility/potential in their game and measureables.

Ignot for me. TD & Wooten #2. Wooten is damn good. Britt #4. MB #5. MB didn't preform well at all last year.

[mcgufcm 4,096]

Interesting. This is probably a touch harsh, but it seems like your impression of Benton is that he's a paper tiger (again probably too harsh). His measureables are everything you'd ever want, but I haven't seen the guy with the lights on.

[au_bsci_04 407]

MB did well at the Atlanta regional Open camp last week. Will be interesting to see if his senior year performance is more like his sophomore or junior.

[ellitor 33,062]

Interesting. This is probably a touch harsh, but it seems like your impression of Benton is that he's a paper tiger (again probably too harsh). His measureables are everything you'd ever want, but I haven't seen the guy with the lights on.

He's not being harsh. As I pointed out a month or so ago it's the truth statistically. He only had 32 tackles his Jr year playing at least 9 games. He had almost 90 his Soph year. He definitely took a step back his Jr year. He had gotten up to 252 lbs last season. He's down to 237 & moving a lot better now in camps per reporters.

[ellitor 33,062]

MB did well at the Atlanta regional Open camp last week. Will be interesting to see if his senior year performance is more like his sophomore or junior.

It needs to be at his soph level for his & Central PC's sake.

[mcgufcm 4,096]

To be clear, I wasn't saying WDE was being harsh. I put the term "paper tiger" in his mouth, and I was prefacing my term as a touch harsh.

[ellitor 33,062]

To be clear, I wasn't saying WDE was being harsh. I put the term "paper tiger" in his mouth, and I was prefacing my term as a touch harsh.

My bad!

[ClaytonAU 4,606]

I'm keeping up with this guy

[The Plainsman 948]

For my money, this guy and Chandler Wooten are the top two targets. I like some height and ranginess from my LBs, and both guys look like they have some Dansby/Thomas type of versatility/potential in their game and measureables.

Ignot for me. TD & Wooten #2. Wooten is damn good. Britt #4. MB #5. MB didn't preform well at all last year.

I agree with Ignot first on my list. I need to learn more on Wooten.

[ScottsboroAuburnFan 462]

Anything new on MB and Wooten?

[ellitor 33,062]

Anything new on MB and Wooten?

Benton has visited AU a lot & will do so again for A Day. Wooten has Tennessee #1 & says they are recruiting him the hardest. He will be at A Day too.

[RunInRed 16,360]

AU in Top 6 ...

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