Tag: Malik Benson

Former Alabama WR Malik Benson announces transfer to Florida State

Former Alabama wide receiver Malik Benson announced that he was transferring to Florida State. Benson spent one season in Tuscaloosa.

After one season in Tuscaloosa, one wide receiver has decided to transfer elsewhere. That is former JUCO standout and Kansas native Malik Benson. On Monday, Benson announced that he was transferring to Florida State. Benson took an official visit to Tallahassee on Sunday before announcing his decision to transfer there.

Before enrolling at Alabama, Benson played for Hutchinson Community College in Hutchinson, Kansas. In two seasons with the Dragons, Benson broke the school record for most receiving yards with 2,152.

The transition to Tuscaloosa was a bit more difficult for the former four-star prospect. In one season at Alabama, Benson reeled in 13 receptions for 162 yards and one touchdown.

Now, Benson will join former Alabama teammate Earl Little Jr. in Tallahassee to play for the Seminoles. It will be interesting to see how the ‘Noles plan to use Benson for his final year of college eligibility.

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Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow the latest news regarding the Alabama football program.

5 Alabama players who could emerge in the Rose Bowl

Roll Tide Wire takes a look at five players that could emerge for Alabama in this year’s Rose Bowl against Michigan.

Over the years, Alabama has had several players come from being “under the radar” to making an immediate impact. One player that comes to mind is former five-star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. The Hawaii native was called on in the biggest game of his life and made a residual impact that will forever be remembered.

Now, the tables have turned and it could be someone else’s turn to have a residing effect on this year’s Rose Bowl game against Michigan. Who will it be?

Roll Tide Wire takes a closer look at five Alabama players who could emerge in the Rose Bowl this season.

Alabama football countdown to kickoff: 11 days

We are now just 11 days away from the start of Alabama’s 2023 football season!

The Alabama Crimson Tide will take the field for the 2023 college football season in 11 days, as Middle Tennessee State visits Bryant Denny Stadium on Sept. 2.

Here at Roll Tide Wire, we will be counting down the days until Nick Saban and his team take the field.

With 11 days remaining, we will take a little different approach to our gallery. Since there are two current players who wear No. 11, we will take a look at some of the best images of each. Both[autotag] Kristian Story[/autotag] and [autotag]Malik Benson[/autotag] wear No. 11 and are worthy to make our countdown.

Photo Gallery

Projecting Alabama football’s starting offense entering fall camp 2023

Projecting Alabama football’s starting offense entering fall camp!

August has arrived and that means the start of the college football season is just around the corner. It also means that [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] and the Alabama football team will begin fall camp in just a few days.

With fall camp just around the corner, now is a good time to preview and project what the starting lineup could look like when they begin practice. Keep in mind, this is just a projection entering fall camp and it could look a lot different come Sept. 2 when the Crimson Tide take on Middle Tennessee State to start the season.

We will get things started on the offensive side of the ball where there are plenty of areas in question entering fall camp!

New Alabama WR Malik Benson draws Jameson Williams comparison

Malik Benson could be a game-changer for Alabama in 2023 and his NFL player comparison is a name Tide fans know well.

Wide receiver Malik Benson joined the Crimson Tide as one of the top junior college prospects in the nation. He had an impressive A-Day spring game performance and could be a key contributor to Alabama’s offense in 2023.

In 2022, Alabama’s offense was somewhat lackluster despite having first rounders like quarterback Bryce Young and running back Jahmyr Gibbs. Benson could be the spark that gets the Tide’s offense going, even with the uncertainty at quarterback and without big names in the wide receiver corps that Tide fans are used to.

In a recent scouting report done by 247Sports’ Allen Trieu, Benson was given an NFL player comparison. Alabama fans may find comfort in knowing that it was former Crimson Tide star receiver Jameson Williams.

“It is difficult to find, even within the NFL, guys who have Benson’s track profile at his size. Williams could really run in high school and we see his style of play as similar to Benson’s in terms of his ability to run by defenders but also be dangerous on short routes. Williams is a little bit different body type but their top end and their styles of play were the closest match among recent high draft picks.”

There’s still time for Benson to prepare for the upcoming season, which will be important as the ongoing quarterback competition will likely go into the regular season.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Benson and other Alabama players as the 2023 season approaches.

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Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow AJ Spurr on Twitter @SpurrFM. 

Five Alabama football players ranked in the top-100 of On3’s NIL Valuations

NIL has taken college athletics by storm, here is where some Alabama football stars are valued according to On3.

Name, image, and likeness have taken college athletics by storm over the past couple of years and one of the best tools to see which athletes are taking the most advantage of the new earnings rule is On3’s NIL Valuation.

On3’s valuation system estimates name, image, and likeness values for college athletes. On3 factors an athlete’s performance, exposure, and influence into their NIL Valuation. Currently, the most valuable college football player in the country is Texas freshman quarterback Arch Manning, who has an NIL Valuation of $2.8 million.

High school athletes are also able to earn from NIL and On3 also tracks their value. USC basketball signee Bronny James, the son of LeBron James, has the largest NIL Valuation across all college sports at $6.5 million.

Alabama currently has five players inside the top 100 of On3’s NIL Valuation. Let’s take a look at who they are, where they rank, and how valuable they are!

PFF ranks the top 10 receiving corps in CFB

Alabama’s 2023 wide receivers rank among the top 10 units in all of college football.

Alabama fans have grown accustomed to having some of the best players in all of college football representing the Crimson Tide, especially at the wide receiver position. The Tide has earned the nickname “WRU,” or Wide Receiver University, for the production of guys like Julio Jones and Amari Cooper and in recent years they have been extra skilled with guys like Jerry Jeudy, DeVonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle, John Metchie and Jameson Williams among many others.

However, the Alabama receiving corps seemingly took a step back in 2022, as it was one of the least effective position groups on the roster. Jahmyr Gibbs led the team in receptions as a running back last season with 44.

The WR room lost a ton of talent to the transfer portal this offseason in guys like JoJo Earle and Traeshon Holden, but the offense will feature a lot of the same guys from last season such as JaCorey Brooks and Jermaine Burton. Incoming transfer, Malik Benson, is another potential star to keep an eye on as he who the No. 1 JUCO player in the country who can completely change the dynamics of the offense.

PFF College ranked the top 10 receiving corps in college football and Alabama snuck onto the list at No. 10. While they do have a lot to prove this season, they have all of the talent they need to have a successful season.

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Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

DeVonta Smith shares his thoughts on Alabama’s WR room in 2023

Former Alabama Heisman Trophy-winning WR, DeVonta Smith, shares his assessment of the WR room

Outside of the quarterback position, the Alabama wide receiving unit might be the biggest question mark for the team heading into 2023.

The Tide returns the majority of their production from 2022 in Jermaine Burton and Ja’Corey Brooks, but neither posted eye-popping numbers last season. With a changing of the guard from Bryce Young to whoever takes over the QB1 role in 2023 it will be essential to get consistent production from the receivers.

Alabama landed the No. 1 JUCO WR in the country in Malik Benson, and there is a very good chance he plays himself into being the top option. The Tide have a handful of guys who are talented but just haven’t been able to put all the pieces together yet.

DeVonta Smith knows exactly what it takes to be a successful receiver in the Crimson Tide program. Smith is the first WR to win the Heisman Trophy since Desmond Howard did it in 1991 and was Alabama’s third-ever winner. Despite some of the questions surrounding the receiving core, Smith is confident in his guys.

Smith was asked if he sees the talent in the WR room to which he says, “Yes. There are some young guys coming in and making some noise. We need to try to get them back to playing at the Alabama standard that was set there even before me.”

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Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

Alabama’s best WR doesn’t rank among top-10 SEC receivers

In a recent ranking of the west wide receivers in the SEC, Alabama’s top player doesn’t make the top 10.

Over the past few seasons, Alabama fans have grown accustomed to constant, elite wide receiver play. Stars like Jerry Jeudy, Calvin Ridley, DeVonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle, Jameson Williams and others all came through Tuscaloosa sometime between 2016 to 2021. Last season, however, the receiving corps was noticeably lackluster.

The receiving unit lacked a true WR1 and didn’t do star quarterback Bryce Young many favors.

The 2023 season is poised to be similar unless someone steps up. That player could be freshman Malik Benson, who joins Alabama as a former JUCO player.

In a recent ranking of SEC wide receivers done by Patrick Conn of College Sports Wire, Benson ranks No. 11. Meanwhile, Georgia, Texas A&M and Ole Miss all have multiple receivers ranked inside the top 10.

“The Tide added one of the best wide receivers from the JUCO level as part of the 2023 recruiting class,” writes Conn. “Benson was second in the NJCAA in receptions, first in yards, ninth in yards per catch, and second in touchdowns. He gets the opportunity to show that he can be a major factor at the Power Five level in the Tide’s offense.”

Benson has an opportunity as a freshman to be a leader for this Alabama offense. There’s a strong chance he is the go-to receiver for whoever ends up at quarterback for the Crimson Tide in 2023.

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Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow AJ Spurr on Twitter @SpurrFM. 

Malik Benson could be Alabama’s go-to guy in 2023

Malik Benson could be in for a special season for Alabama in 2023!

Ever since Julio Jones signed with Alabama all the way back in 2008, the Crimson Tide has always trotted out some high-level wide receivers. In 2022, that standard took a bit of a dip and it has fans wondering who could potentially be the next star out wide in the Alabama offense.

Sure you have veteran guys such as Ja’Corey Brooks and Jermaine Burton who are really talented, but I am not sure they have any elite traits. Allow me to introduce the new kid on the block, Malik Benson.

Benson was widely regarded as one of the top junior college prospects and was even considered a five-star according to On3. Benson has world-class athleticism and is a dynamic playmaker who is capable of taking it to the house at any given moment. At 6’1″ 185, Benson has great length which allows him to make contested catches. Benson is smooth in and out of his breaks and has the ability to be an elite route runner if given the proper coaching.

Benson’s upside is probably higher than anyone else’s in the receiver room and remember, he was already taking snaps with the first-team offense after only a handful of practices this spring.

Alabama needs a true No. 1 receiver who opposing coaches fear and Benson may be just that this fall for the Crimson Tide.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Stacey Blackwood on Twitter @Blackwood89.

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