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Eno Benjamin ready to seize his opportunity

ASU freshman RB Eno Benjamin looks forward to fulfilling lofty expectations
ASU freshman RB Eno Benjamin looks forward to fulfilling lofty expectations

As a mid-year signee out of high school who is already enrolled at Arizona State’s Barrett Honors College, and majoring in Business Law, Eno Benjamin isn’t your typical true freshman. The newcomer running back’s drive for excellence manifested itself also in a stellar high school football career and could be the foundation for a successful tenure with the Sun Devils.


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As an upperclassman at Wylie East High School, located in the Dallas, Tex. area, Benjamin posted back-to-back 2,600 yards rushing seasons and accumulated over a 100 touchdowns in his career there. Michigan, Utah, Baylor and Texas were just some of the schools the running back was seriously considering in the last few months after he decommitted from Iowa.

Benjamin said that ASU’s initial contact with him took place during his junior year, with then running backs coach Josh Martin. The running back admitted that the transition in ASU’s coaching staff the following year didn't initially make for a smooth recruiting process.

“Coach (John) Simon took over,” Benjamin said of then ASU’s new running back coach. “Once he hit me up, I kind of ignored him a little bit because it was like, ‘Hey man, I got to build a new relationship with someone’, so we weren’t too strong there. After a while, I began to open up and talk to him, so we’ve been great ever since.”

It wasn’t only Simon’s engaging personality that appealed quite a bit to Benjamin, but also his credibility and experience that normally isn’t present at many schools the running back encountered.

“I would say experience his experience in (the NFL),” Benjamin explained. “I think running back coaches in college are frowned upon. I think sometimes its recruiting coaches put in running back spots. Coach Simon has been to the league and I think it would be great for me to learn from someone who’s been there and done that. I think that was a huge thing for me.”

During head coach Todd Graham's tenure at Arizona State, the school’s recruiting efforts in the state of Texas have more extensive than recent ASU coaches. Geographically speaking, Wylie is under a half an hour drive away from Allen, Tex. where Todd Graham coached the local high school team. This was another measure of comfort that ultimately was significant in Benjamin’s decision process.

“That was really influential for me,” Benjamin admitted. “I think Coach Graham being from a very close area to where I’m from and just having a Texas mentality made everything better for me in terms of the program. I just know how Texas football is and I know what’s expected from him. I think him being a Texas guy and having a Texas mentality and me being comfortable with that”

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Benjamin posted back-to-back 2,600 yards rushing seasons and accumulated over a 100 touchdowns at Wylie East (Tex.) High School
Benjamin posted back-to-back 2,600 yards rushing seasons and accumulated over a 100 touchdowns at Wylie East (Tex.) High School

The level of play and competition in the high school ranks of the Lone Star state is among the best in the country, and an aspect Benjamin feels can adequately prepare him for the rigors of playing in a Power-5 conference such as the Pac-12. Benjamin knows that arriving this week on campus allows him to gain a more comprehensive knowledge of the playbook prior to March’s spring practice, let alone August’s fall camp.

Based on the Sun Devils’ offensive scheme on display in 2016, Benjamin will more than likely come across several pages depicting the ‘Sparky” direct snap formation, and alignment that coincidently or not was one that Benjamin excelled in during his prep career.

“It wasn’t something they had to explain much to me,” Benjamin remarked. “I saw the Texas Tech game (where running RB Kalen Ballage scored six times from that formation alone), so that caught my eye. Me being able to do that in high school would be like me being able to do that in college as well. I think that’s a great way to utilize a person that shows his versatility.”

“I think the majority of my yardage came from just being in that Sparky package. It helps you visualize everything quicker because you’re just looking up and seeing everything.”

Benjamin often displayed his passing skills in that formation and said that exhibiting that trait was done out of necessity.

“After my junior season I think it became a reality that I was going to have to play quarterback this year,” Benjamin recalled. “Throwing, I don’t know where that came from, it’s just something they told me to do and you have to get the ball there someway somehow.”

“My quarterback was one year above me. He went to play baseball at Texas A&M, so he left. (The coaches) were like, ‘Hey, we’re just going to put you here (at quarterback), see how you do.’ I think what they wanted…those other quarterbacks did not have the ability to produce for them in terms of being able to run. I think that’s where I came in for them.”

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Benjamin officially visited ASU during the October home game versus UCLA. Aside from witnessing a 23-20 victory which set a positive tone for that weekend, the running back enjoyed his time with some of the fellow Texans on the team.

“Just the ability to run the ball and the number of times they do run the ball,” Benjamin said of his impressions that night, “and just the fierce nature they play with, going back to that Texas football mentality and spark. Also, that was the night I saw Zane Gonzalez break the record, so that was a huge thing for me.

“I think Ryan Newsome and John Humphrey were my hosts, so them being from Texas as well, I opened up and got to know them well. Those guys were giving me the truth, they weren’t hiding everything. They were telling me that, ‘Hey, John Simon is real. He’s one of those real guys.’ I could see that for myself, so I knew they weren’t kidding me. I kind of listened up and took what they said all in.”

The fact that offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey had a very potent ground attack at Southern Miss, was something that didn't go unnoticed by Benjamin and only added to his affinity of ASU.

“At Southern Miss he had two great backs,” Benjamin said. “I actually talk to those two now, Jalen Richard and Ito Smith. I’m in constant communication with them. They’ve been telling me a bit about both him and Coach Simon and what they’ve done for them and just how the offense is. I really admire Coach Lindsey and I’m really looking forward to working with him.”

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Aside from that official visit, which Benjamin took alone, the running back took an unofficial visit, this time with his parents the weekend of December 9th right before the recruiting dead period had begun. The second visit to Tempe may not have been previously planned, but the timing was certainly no coincidence.

“I actually had a home visit with those (ASU) coaches that did not make it out to the media,” Benjamin said, “and I’m glad it didn’t make it out to the media. It went really well. I think ASU was the only school I had an in-home visit with. After that home visit, my parents were like, ‘Hey, let’s take a trip up there’ and so that’s how that visit came about.”

His visit to Tempe followed a visit to the University of Texas, which was more out of curiosity rather than having doubts about Arizona State. Benjamin said that after both visits he realized that the Sun Devils were second to none when it came to the school of his choice.


So with a pledge that was given to ASU in mid-December, the running back was, in fact, a silent commitment to the program literally four weeks, until he made his intentions publicly know at the nationally broadcasted January 7th Army All-American Bowl. Benjamin claimed that it wasn’t hard to keep this significant piece of news under wraps.

“I think when I was committed back at Iowa, I was also a silent commit for about a month,” Benjamin stated. “You just have to keep trust in the people you tell you’re committed plus the coaches, so it’s not too hard at all. I was trying to recruit there (Army All-American Bowl), so I had to kind of let those people know where I was going.”

“I think I originally wanted to wait until that game to do that when I first wanted to commit somewhere, but it was just eating me inside like I wanted the world to know where I was going to be. After that (Iowa) decommitment happened, I decided I was going to wait until the last day to share the news.”


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Benjamin has been on campus for less than a week, and the biggest challenge he probably has endured is getting around on crutches due to a right ankle injury suffered in that Army all-American game. The running back did assure though that the protective boot he’s wearing is only precautionary and that he will be healthy for spring practice.

“I’ve felt that pain before and I’d actually broken my other ankle in eighth grade,” Benjamin said, “and I knew that wasn’t the same pain, so I knew there was nothing really wrong with it at all. I’m good.”

Benjamin’s due diligence in the classroom is undoubtedly one facet that can help with such a major transition not only off the field but also on the gridiron.

“I think I’m a pretty bright student so I got a grasp of everything pretty quickly,” Benjamin said. “I left San Antonio last Sunday morning, got (to Tempe), had a day to rest and get everything in. My cousin actually lives out here so I had to mail her some stuff that I was excited to pick up and move back. My biggest part with classes is like how I was going to find the building. Monday, I actually had the opportunity to do that. It wasn’t as bad as I thought; I would say I’m picking things up pretty quickly.”

Benjamin said that the players’ interactions with each other and the sense of “brotherhood”

Have been hard to ignore. The running back feels a collective sense of competition and thirst for success from his new teammates. Consequently, he feels that senior running backs Demario Richard and Kalen Ballage will act as formidable mentors.

“That’s actually one reason why I am here as well,” Benjamin confessed. “There were other places where they wanted me to be the man right away. The way I look at that, that also equals a lot of carries, and that’ not something you want to put on your body as early. I think just having a year to play a bit, but also learn some knowledge from those two before they’re gone is probably the best thing for me.”

As a four-star prospect Benjamin was naturally well sought after and had no shortage of quality programs pursuing him. The running back not only carefully examined all of the components of each program he considered, but also put in context ASU’s 5-7 record and explained why this mark didn't deter him from considering the Sun Devils.

“People say like, ‘Hey, why did you commit to Iowa?’ I thought the same thing,” Benjamin noted. “They weren’t a bad program; they had a great offensive line, so why not go there. I think the majority of the (ASU) losing record came from injuries. They were 5-1 at one point. You got to think about that. It wasn’t necessarily them being outperformed. They were just missing pieces due to injury.”

Benjamin is quite aware of the fact that lofty high school accolades can put undue pressure for immediate success for a true freshman like himself. The running back doesn’t see that as a hindering factor, but rather a motivation to backup his supporters’ sentiments.

“As for me, I think that makes me a better player and person to have that,” Benjamin said of expectations. “I wouldn’t say pressure. Just that willingness to be good at everything I do. That’s the way I look at it, just looking forward to this season and everything that happens.”

Benjamin added that he sees himself as versatile running back not only in his running style, but also in his ability to be a receiver with from the backfield or the slot, much like Richard and Ballage were at times last season.

Benjamin is eager to also show his versatility as one of the main recruiters among the players on the team. With three recruiting visit weekends coming up, Benjamin is more than happy to roll his sleeves back and deliver his best Sun Devil sales pitch.

“I would say everything from now is going up, so why not come be a part of this? ” Benjamin said. “A lot of Texas boys I know and even Oklahoma boys I know are looking at this place; I think one will even be here today. I trust them, they trust me and I think they’ll be all ears to what I have to say.”

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