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Benton picks up two new offers
Jason Pughe
Updated April 8, 2008...
When we last caught up with Shamari Benton, the Brother Rice linebacker/safety from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan had Michigan State and Ohio State as his leaders. He recently picked up two new offers from Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan and there’s another Big Ten school that is starting to make a move.
I got two new offers from Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan,” Benton said. “I am impressed with the two offers that I have, they are great schools. Last night, I talked to the Wisconsin coach. Ohio State and Michigan State are still the leaders, but I’d throw Wisconsin in there as well. The coaching staff is really impressed with me and they said that they are going to come by my school on April 20th to see me in person. I really think they are going to be my first Big Ten offer because we spent a lot of time talking about that. I love the campus there and they have a good shot. Ohio State isn’t as big of a favorite for me anymore; they’ve kind of fallen off. They are still one of my top schools, but I like other schools as well.”
While Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan aren’t in the Big Ten, Benton says that he is very impressed with what he has seen from both schools.
CMU: “I didn’t expect that much from a MAC school, but their facilities are Big Ten level. They have a younger coaching staff and I can relate to them. They treated me really nice there and I enjoyed it.”
EMU: “The coaches have been recruiting me since I was a freshman and I have a close bond with them. What I liked about them the most was how intense their practices were.”
Benton is set to have a busy week as he visits a couple of schools. He planned on visiting Michigan State this past weekend, but was unable to make the trip. He plans on visiting another Big Ten school this month and hopes to be able to make his decision by this summer.
“I was going to go up to Michigan State on Sunday, but I couldn’t make it,” he said. “I definitely am going to go to some of their spring practices. Tomorrow, I am going to Central Michigan and then Toledo the next day and I want to go to Notre Dame in the near future. I planned a trip to Iowa on the 19th. When football season starts, I want to focus on football. I definitely will commit before football season, because most of my offers will come in June after the one day camps. I should know where I stand by the end of June.”
I was going to go up to Michigan State on Sunday, but I couldn’t make it. I definitely am going to go to some of their spring practices. I planned a trip to Iowa on the 19th. I am impressed with the two offers that I have, they are great schools