Alot of ya'll think Benn goes somewhere else other than ND.So I am going to say that he goes to{Since he wants to make a surprise pick on his college choice}FSU.The reason I say FSU is that they really don't have a star reciever on the team.A big Name reciever.They had one last year but, he was kicked off the team.I believe his name was Roust.Man was he going to be special.

 

Iknow alot of ya'll want him to come to ND still so do I.Just remember he wants to make a Big Surprise Announcement and this the only other choice other than ND IMO.

benn will go to illinois.

I'm sticking with my gut feeling and say he will be Irish.

nope, it's gonna be illinois.. way too many buddies are pulling him in that direction.. the shame of it is that as he matures, he will finally realize how much better of a player he is than these guys and his opportunities will start to blossom while his friends will be just better than average. this will, unfortunately, be to his detriment in the future. right now, he has the opportunity to play football with the most elite athletes in the country, at a great university, on national tv every week. it is hard to believe that his mentors and family don't recognize this lost opportunity. he can't be blamed for his actions since he is only 18. i remember how confused i was at this point in my life, and isn't it funny that i speak to noone who was part of my life at that time. he probably won't either as he grows older, but unfortunately , they are probably helping him make decisions about his future. this will be a learning experience for him and i hope he enjoys illinois. as for the irish, we will be just fine. good luck arrelious.

maybe i missed it, but did Benn say he wants to make a big surprise pick?

maybe because of the speculation that Benn will choose Illinois over Notre Dame, a selection of ND would be a big surprise?

 

until i see Benn announce anything other than ND i will continue to expect him to pick ND. i just dont understand how he could pass up playing at ND with not only the BEST QB recruit in the country, but a system that is perfectly set to get him ready for the next level(NFL)

 

im not going to be shocked if he picks Illinois, and i dont think it will be a big blow to the Irish ..but it would still be great to have JC throwing the ball to Benn.

IMO, whoever Benn picks today, he will be Irish come NSD.

Can Illinois really snag a No. 2 receiver?

By Mike Farrell

November 8, 2006

 

The college football world is bracing for one of the biggest recruiting upsets in recent history. The nation's No. 2 wide receiver and a national top 20 recruit, Washington (D.C.) Dunbar star Arrelious Benn, could commit to Illinois as soon as Thursday.

 

Already, the message boards are very active about this potential decision. It's hard to find a team with such a poor record and unimpressive recent history heading out of state and pulling in a top-20 player. It just doesn't happen without some in-state ties (i.e. offensive tackle Ryan Miller from Colorado to the Buffs this year) or some great football tradition (Derrick Williams to Penn State in 2004). So in recruiting circles, this would be a stunner.

 

Benn has offers from programs like Southern Cal, Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame and plenty of other current BCS powers. He also has a local offer from the surprising Maryland Terrapins and offers from tradition-laden programs like Florida State, Miami and others. If asked to "pick the team that doesn't fit," Illinois would be selected every time. That is, unless Benn is doing the choosing.

 

Benn still lists the Irish, Seminoles and Terps amongst his finalists, but the Illini have the edge heading into this week. Most fans just can't understand it.

 

However, if you look closer at what Benn has always said he wants in a program, you can see why he's interested in Ron Zook's 2-7 team. Benn wants to touch the ball a lot, and his recruiting coach happens to be offensive coordinator Mike Locksley. Benn wants to play with a young and talented quarterback. Juice Williams, despite struggling against the nation's No. 1 team last week, has shown excellent promise and a cannon arm. Benn wants to feel comfortable with the people around him. Save for the Terrapins, Illinois by far has the most Maryland and D.C. players on its roster. It doesn't hurt that Locksley hails from D.C., as well.

 

But still, couldn't Benn be the focal point of the Maryland offense? Couldn't he catch passes from uber-recruit Jimmy Clausen, the top quarterback prospect in a decade, at Notre Dame? Couldn't he comfortable in Tallahassee, Fla., with all those other four- and five-star recruits who have plenty in common with him? The answer to each question is certainly yes, but none of that matters to Benn.

 

You see, Benn has always been his own man. The more someone tells him what he should do, the more he wants to do the opposite. To him, being a difference-maker at a struggling program is more glorious than becoming another blue chip recruit in the land of blue chip recruits. Benn once told me how much he respected what Derrick Williams had done when he turned down Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, Southern Cal and all the big boys to commit to a struggling Penn State program. Williams wanted to make a difference, and he has become a big part of the Nittany Lions' turnaround.

 

Over the next few days or few weeks, Benn might have a change of heart and commit to Florida State or Notre Dame or stay home to play for Maryland. He might do what everyone expects of a big-time recruit. He could remain a local hero or head off to a program that can win the national title in the next few years.

 

But the more message board posts Benn reads about how crazy he is to pick Illinois, the more the locals point out how the Illini are 2-7 and near the bottom of the Big Ten. The more whispers he hears about how he'll never be heard of again if he heads to Champaign, the more likely he is to stun the world.

Its a nice article. I have watched a few Illinois games this year, and saying that Juice Williams has "excellent promise" AS A PASSER is ridiculous. He has moderate promise at best.

 

With Little on board I'm not too concerned. If Benn wants to help Illinois improve from 2-10 yearly to 5-7 yearly he can be my guest. He seems like a really nice kid, and I wish him the best, but Greg Little is a freak athletically and with Kumara on the other side, Ragone and Reuland at TE, and JA and Armando Allen (crossing fingers) in the backfield with JC....we'll be in great shape without him.

 

Donald and Martez Wilson are the 2 big recruits left in my opinion. We need some LB's!!!!

Farrell doesn't know where Benn is going. Its all speculation. Nobody knows for sure.

 

My guess: He will be Irish tonight. At this point, that would be more of a surprise than Illinois, with everybody expecting him to go to Champaign.

Juice...... I beleive there is a kid named Jimmy Clausen and two WR spots opening up in South Bend and a chance to become a key cog on ND's fisrt title in two decades. That would make a legacy, not going to Illinois where fans do not een care about the football team, they onyl care about bball. I really want to see this kid in the Blue and Gold next fall as a sensational diaper dandy as dicky v would say.

If Benn was his own man, then he wouldn't be listening to other schools telling him that ND is this and ND is that... Thats total bs Farrell is trying to play the fence thats all...

 

Benn yes is his own man, But a offense geared around a qb... Ask Stovall, McKnight, and Samar... They'll tell you...

 

Benn will be wearing number 9 in blue and gold because he wants to, not because of Zook, his friends, negative recruiting, or anything else...

 

Benn is solid on ND...

perhapes one reason benn could pick Illinois over ND is, if he went to illinois he would be the #1 target for juice for three years but if he went to ND he'd have to share the ball with rueland, ragone, kamar, little, floyd and buckner. maybe he feels he can put up bigger stats at illinois then at ND.

perhapes one reason benn could pick Illinois over ND is, if he went to illinois he would be the #1 target for juice for three years but if he went to ND he'd have to share the ball with rueland, ragone, kamar, little, floyd and buckner. maybe he feels he can put up bigger stats at illinois then at ND.

 

I said this in the other post, I don't see how a WR could see that as a good thing. In a conference as deep as the Big 10, being the only great target for your QB just means you'll spend your whole career in double coverage. If your QB is throwing the ball 40 times a game anyway what do you care if doesn't ALWAYS look your way. You can take a WR out of game with certain coverages.

perhapes one reason benn could pick Illinois over ND is, if he went to illinois he would be the #1 target for juice for three years but if he went to ND he'd have to share the ball with rueland, ragone, kamar, little, floyd and buckner. maybe he feels he can put up bigger stats at illinois then at ND.

 

 

If that is the case Dang. then he hasn't learned yet that there isn't "I" in team then.I would have to believe that he would put up bigger #'s at ND.Man just look at Carlson this year he is putting up #'s like a WR.

yeah it seems that samardzija, mcknight and carlson are all catching about 8 balls each game.

I think if we meditate hard enough and say "Ohm, Ohm, Ohm" then Benn will see where he has to go. Sending him ND energy now..... Ohm.....

Wouldn't it be better to chant "Dome . . . dome . . . dome"?

yes, it's working - "Dome, Dome, Dome"

 

I have to close my office door now.

I think Benn throws everybody for a loop and goes to either Tulsa or North Texas.

Please, no negative energy.

 

I'm lighting the incense sticks now.

I think Benn will be Irish and the Chicago Sun Times printed he was Irish pissed him off. It makes the Sun Times look bad, if they can look worst then they already are. Benn wanted it to be a surprise and now it will be. Benn was able to get one of his friends recruited at Illinois, so why not let people think he will go there.