Big time JUCO WR Malik Benson names Tennessee to top five

Following a big first year in Knoxville, Josh Heupel has turned Tennessee into a destination once again for top wide receiver prospects. We’re seeing that ring true with some of the names the Volunteers are in on in the 2023 class, and now you can add another to that list.

Malik Benson, a JUCO product coming out of Hutchinson Community College, named Tennessee to his top five over the weekend. Alabama, Georgia, Oregon and LSU joined the Volunteers.

Benson is currently unranked (it’s still early in the cycle for JUCO rankings), but as you can tell by his top schools list, his recruitment is going to be played out among the elite. The 6-1, 185 pound prospect will be a big time recruit in this class, likely ranking as one of the top JUCO players in the class. He already has 25 known scholarship offers to this point.

A rising sophomore at Hutchinson, Benson caught 43 passes that went for 1,229 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2021 as a freshman. That immediate elite production caught the eye of everyone in the college football world, making him a top option in this cycle.

Benson now has official visits lined up to Oregon (May 20), Tennessee (June 10), LSU (June 3) and Georgia (June 17). New wide receivers coach Kelsey Pope and Alex Golesh are running point for his recruitment by Tennessee, and both paid him a visit during spring practice a few weeks back.

He told 247Sports that he hopes to commit by July, graduate in December, and enroll by January.