What ever happened to Reggie Benton?
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Jimmy Chitwood
Hall of Famer
i don't recognize the name ... do you have any more info?
GreatLakeState
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Last time I mentioned Reggie Benton, jokers on here claimed he was black. He was a stud running back from Flint, one of the highest rated -- nationally -- in I think 2000. If I recall correctly, didn't graduate h.s. and didn't get into U-M, went to a prep school then went to Purdue, but left before playing a game. Had heard rumor he joined the army.
GreatLakeState
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Obviously, this kid had "issues":
Running back quits, rejoins team
Freshman Reggie Benton sure faked some people out, and it had nothing to do with any of the cuts the running back made on the football field.
Benton's biggest run this fall was the run he made away from the team for a day, leading most people to believe that he had quit the team because of frustration over the offense and his inability to play up to his potential after a year away from football.
But he returned to practice Aug. 11, citing several reasons for his hiatus.
"It's a physical thing. It's a mental thing. It's a bunch of things all grouped into one," said the running back from Grand Blanc (Mich.) High School. "But I'll be all right in a few weeks. Maybe I was homesick or felt out of place. I just needed a while to think about it, talk with my parents and my coaches and make sure my head is in it."
Benton, who committed to Michigan in 1999 but had to spend a year away from football at Mountain View High School in Centreville, Va., to finish his high school graduation requirements, left the locker room in the middle of getting dressed for practice Aug. 9 and never came back.
Benton, who runs a 4.4 40-yard dash, was named first team all-state as a senior at Grand Blanc (Mich.) High School after rushing for 1,995 yards on 227 carries (8.8 average) with 29 touchdowns. He was a two-time honorable mention All-American and three-time all-conference selection while rushing for 5,035 yards with 63 touchdowns in high school. Tiller called Benton the best running back, statistically, that Purdue had ever recruited.
But the complexity of Purdue's offense frustrated him. On Aug. 9, Benton was in on a play and when the quarterback changed the play at the line of scrimmage, Benton threw his arms in the air and said he didn't know what he was doing.
"We don't often have a guy do that," Tiller said. "I reminded him that he has been away from football for a year and that I have not known anybody who has been away from the game that long and then steps back in and is perfect. I told him he was being way too critical of himself and that he needed to relax."
Running back quits, rejoins team
Freshman Reggie Benton sure faked some people out, and it had nothing to do with any of the cuts the running back made on the football field.
Benton's biggest run this fall was the run he made away from the team for a day, leading most people to believe that he had quit the team because of frustration over the offense and his inability to play up to his potential after a year away from football.
But he returned to practice Aug. 11, citing several reasons for his hiatus.
"It's a physical thing. It's a mental thing. It's a bunch of things all grouped into one," said the running back from Grand Blanc (Mich.) High School. "But I'll be all right in a few weeks. Maybe I was homesick or felt out of place. I just needed a while to think about it, talk with my parents and my coaches and make sure my head is in it."
Benton, who committed to Michigan in 1999 but had to spend a year away from football at Mountain View High School in Centreville, Va., to finish his high school graduation requirements, left the locker room in the middle of getting dressed for practice Aug. 9 and never came back.
Benton, who runs a 4.4 40-yard dash, was named first team all-state as a senior at Grand Blanc (Mich.) High School after rushing for 1,995 yards on 227 carries (8.8 average) with 29 touchdowns. He was a two-time honorable mention All-American and three-time all-conference selection while rushing for 5,035 yards with 63 touchdowns in high school. Tiller called Benton the best running back, statistically, that Purdue had ever recruited.
But the complexity of Purdue's offense frustrated him. On Aug. 9, Benton was in on a play and when the quarterback changed the play at the line of scrimmage, Benton threw his arms in the air and said he didn't know what he was doing.
"We don't often have a guy do that," Tiller said. "I reminded him that he has been away from football for a year and that I have not known anybody who has been away from the game that long and then steps back in and is perfect. I told him he was being way too critical of himself and that he needed to relax."
GreatLakeState
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The sad thing is, U-M could've been White Running Back U. But all of the ones from recent memory were screw-ups (Benton and Jon Anes) or quitters (that kid who hurdled people on Youtube).
White Eric Dickerson:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yO84sFZ90c
White Eric Dickerson:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yO84sFZ90c
johnnyboy
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Reggie quit Purdue a second time, for good. I didn't here anything about him after that. He was a legit Blue Chip prospect. Hope he has no regrets.
white is right
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Mental issues manifest themselves in your late teens early 20's. Also being a white tailback is similar to what a white hope was pre-Soviet domination of the heavyweight division. Your literally in a glass bowl.
Reggie Benton update
I want to clear some things up. Reggie Benton did graduate high school. He left Grand Blanc and went to Virginia. No one is ready for the whole story but his not going to Michigan had a lot to do with the recruiting coaching. Reggie took all the heat for others actions. Why he left Purdue was because it wasn't right for him.
Reggie is a family man now. He has a young son that he devotes his time too. Football was never his first passion. He went off the grid and would like to say off. All your other comments are just out of line.
I want to clear some things up. Reggie Benton did graduate high school. He left Grand Blanc and went to Virginia. No one is ready for the whole story but his not going to Michigan had a lot to do with the recruiting coaching. Reggie took all the heat for others actions. Why he left Purdue was because it wasn't right for him.
Reggie is a family man now. He has a young son that he devotes his time too. Football was never his first passion. He went off the grid and would like to say off. All your other comments are just out of line.
FootballDad
Hall of Famer
It's good to hear that he is doing well. His basic story has been seen countless times over the years with many white skill position players. Most walk away with no regrets, as they have many other priorities and have other careers in mind. Football is almost always secondary, with family, career and education being most important. Much different than most black players who look at sports as their only way out of the hood.