Class of 2019 TE/DE Luke Benson (PA) SIGNED NLI TO SYRACUSE 12/19/18

[007]

Not sure why we are chasing this grunt of a TE. Heck, he might stay at the same weight and line up all over the place. His hands are still in question with only 8 catches. That said, love his speed and athleticism!

Benson's offer was based entirely on his performance at the camp. The staff knows what they are getting and how they will attempt to use him. I doubt there any any reservations about his hands if they see him as a TE/WR.

"Only" 8 catches in HS is a meaningless stat relative to what they must have seen him do at camp.

 

[CuseLegacy]

58. Luke Benson

School: Central Bucks West

Position: TE

HT/WT: 6-4, 220

Buzz: The Syracuse commit is built solid, but he can get out and run. Does a good job of finding seams in the defense, and bringing in passes.

 

[bigmike]

FWIW, he's going to catch about 200,000 balls listening to Santana before he ever gets into a game. If he hasn't had enough practice catching, he's going to get a crash course.

Love the way he gets after his blocks..

 

[RF2044]

Not sure why we are chasing this grunt of a TE. Heck, he might stay at the same weight and line up all over the place. His hands are still in question with only 8 catches. That said, love his speed and athleticism!

I keep seeing people wringing their hands over his HS stats, but do we know why he only had 8 catches? Is his HS team one of those squads that never throws the ball? Honestly asking that question.

I'm not nearly as worried about stats -- it is far more important IMO what athletic attributes / capabilities the prospect has [or doesn't, in some cases]. There are lots of examples of players putting up gaudy stats at the HS level, too, and past experience has led m to take it all with a grain of salt.

 

[Finwad32]

Finwad32 -- you usually have pretty insightful takes on recruits, I'm wondering if you'd be willing to expound on why you are so excited about this recruit.

Thanks!

For me, I don't make looking at a recruit overly complicated.

He has Sunday measurables. His speed and ability to run at that size make him unique for that position. He's a great classic TE prospect.

I saw him attack downblocks aggressively, uses hands well. Leans a little more than I'd like, but, he's 17 and hasn't spent hours working technique.

Let's not forget, he's not a bad looking DE prospect.

And, worst case scenario is he balloons up and moves down to OT, which he's got plenty of strength and athleticism to do.

Great prospect who checks a lot of boxes.

The kicker? He's way smaaaatter than me.

 

[Shrmdougluvr]

Let's not forget, he's not a bad looking DE prospect

This is interesting. Wasn't Ryan Lacasse an Allstate sprinter? He was a pretty good defensive end. I liked the de film on this kid a lot

 

[sufandu]

This is interesting. Wasn't Ryan Lacasse an Allstate sprinter? He was a pretty good defensive end. I liked the de film on this kid a lot

He was fast. Benson is about a second faster when comparing 200m times.

 

[chugg21]

For me, I don't make looking at a recruit overly complicated.

He has Sunday measurables. His speed and ability to run at that size make him unique for that position. He's a great classic TE prospect.

I saw him attack downblocks aggressively, uses hands well. Leans a little more than I'd like, but, he's 17 and hasn't spent hours working technique.

Let's not forget, he's not a bad looking DE prospect.

And, worst case scenario is he balloons up and moves down to OT, which he's got plenty of strength and athleticism to do.

Great prospect who checks a lot of boxes.

The kicker? He's way smaaaatter than me.

I was thinking of the possibility of moving to OT as well. With that kind of athleticism if he could get to 6'5 280 would give him a heck of a shot at cashing checks. Some have the ability to put on that kind of good weight and some others will max out in the 240 range, so who knows.

 

[leftytg]

I was thinking of the possibility of moving to OT as well. With that kind of athleticism if he could get to 6'5 280 would give him a heck of a shot at cashing checks. Some have the ability to put on that kind of good weight and some others will max out in the 240 range, so who knows.

280 is too light to be a P5 OT, let alone an NFL OT.

This year's NFL combine had 25 OL participants. Of those 25, only 5 weighed in at less than 300 pounds. Of those 5 less than 300 pounds, there was a 296, 297, 298 and 299 (the 5th was 292).

NFL OL under 300 pounds are a rare breed nowadays. In 2016, the smallest RT was 6'4" 295 and smallest LT was 6'3" 305. You can get away with being lighter at C. The lightest C was 6'2" 285.

 

[blizz]

You guys are making this way more complicated than it is.

6'4" and really fast. He'll play tight end and we're lucky. End of list.

 

[CuseLegacy]

You guys are making this way more complicated than it is.

6'4" and really fast. He'll play tight end and we're lucky. End of list.

 

[CuseLegacy]

Tom Waring‏ @Phillytomwaring Aug 24
Luke Benson 31 yard TD pass from Jack Neri. 14-0 CB West

 

[CuseLegacy]

 

[CuseLegacy]

 

[SmilinBob]

Hope he's ok.

 

[ORANGEsPHK]

I liked the de film on this kid a lot

I agree. Benson looked much more explosive playing DE than TE, at least in his tape. He seemed a little mechanical at TE and was brought down pretty easily. These are things that can change rather quickly has he gains strength though. His size and speed are definitely great attributes though.

 

[CuseLegacy]

 

[LeMoyneCuse]

I talked to a guy today who knows Benson very well. He said the following:

- He broke his thumb in late September and missed the rest of the season.
- He only started running track last year. His speed was well known, but it wasn't until last spring that he was convinced to give sprinting a try. And he came in 8th at states.
- Super smart kid and a great learner. Shaved half a second off his hundred time over the course of a season.
- He fell in love with Cuse and committed as soon as he got the offer.

 

[CuseLegacy]

I talked to a guy today who knows Benson very well. He said the following:

- He broke his thumb in late September and missed the rest of the season.
- He only started running track last year. His speed was well known, but it wasn't until last spring that he was convinced to give sprinting a try. And he came in 8th at states.
- Super smart kid and a great learner. Shaved half a second off his hundred time over the course of a season.
- He fell in love with Cuse and committed as soon as he got the offer.

Thanks. I knew from tweets that he must have gotten injured but never knew what kind of injury.

 

[RoysRunts]

Gabe Horan is a Diamond, I'd love to see him used..1st Game TD then injury Hope Baber's uses the Tight End for receiving (Screen/throwback play)

 

[CuseLegacy]

 

[orangemass]

This kid is going to be a matchup nightmare

 

[JackBauer44]

Great frame too. He will fill out quite well.

 

[SU in Hershey]

Earlier in the thread, it sounds like he is expected to be a TE. Is there any reason to think differently now? Or will that depend on how the rest of the recruiting wars play out?

 

[Mayhem_OJ]

This kid is going to be a matchup nightmare

Won’t matter if he is, we all saw how Pierce was used.