Oregon hit the accelerator on the recruiting path this spring. Fresh from a 2023 commitment, wide-ranging Ashton Cozartthe Ducks housed junior college’s top recruit Malik Benson from Hutchinson Community College in Kansas.
The visit left a very strong impression and Benson reflected on his favorite part of the trip.
“I think my favorite part of the whole visit was going there with my whole family,” he said ducks digest. “We will all experience this. The moment I put the jersey on and stepped onto that field, it just felt electric.”
Hutchinson WR Malik Benson
Malik Benson/Oregon Athletics
Oregon has made a special effort to create a family atmosphere and to include everyone in the experience.
“They kept the music playing while they took photos. My little eight-year-old brother, he’s in there, he’s just dancing,” Benson said. “He’s having a good time and they let my 15-year-old brother get dressed with me, come on the picture with me and he’s in the whole uniform.”
Hutchinson WR Malik Benson visits Oregon
Benson’s recruitment has boomed for the second time as an elite junior college recruit, and the Oregon visit stands out from anything he’s experienced before.
“I felt my visit was different because they made me feel like there really is a want and a need,” he said. “Just the little things, like just getting my siblings involved, letting them put the gear on, that was all.”
After his first trip to Eugene, the 6-foot-1, 190-pound playmaker left with a very clear takeaway.
“It’s good for me to know after leaving Oregon that getting me is a priority. They’ll do anything to get me. Their actions speak louder than their words.”
His time with Eugene also gave him the opportunity to spend some time with Dan Lanning who has given him a clear vision of how to take the program to the next level.
“Just Coach Lanning and all the people he’s surrounded himself with to make this program do what it’s supposed to do,” Benson said. “I feel like he has the right people because they’re going to turn this program into a national championship program.”
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In case you needed more convincing, Benson insisted his visit to Oregon had set the bar for his remaining four official visits.
“Yes, sir. It’s going to be other schools that we’re going to look at that have to top that, that recording.”
With his first official visit in the books, Benson will travel to Baton Rouge to watch the LSU Tigers when he starts an SEC swing in June.
What will he keep an eye on during these trips?
“Only really if they can top what Oregon has done,” he said. “Like every place I go is a big name; Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Tennessee, they are all winning programs. I just have to get that feeling, it has to feel like home.”
Benson will make all of his travels to get a taste of what each of his finalists has to offer before committing.
“It will be sometime in mid-July. I’ll do all those visits and then I’ll probably post it on Twitter just like I did with the top 5. I haven’t really looked that far. Only on this final stretch do I make these visits before thinking about when to commit.
*WATCH MALIK BENSON HIGHLIGHTS*
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