DL Justin Benton ready for a key official visit to Texas
Defensive lineman Justin Benton has been committed to West Virginia, but he knows he’ll have a tough decision in the coming weeks. The Covington (GA) Newton product took an official visit to Arkansas in November and he’ll be in Austin this weekend to see the Texas Longhorns before working towards a final decision in the next couple of weeks.
“It’s a pretty close race right now. West Virginia, I’ve been committed to them for a long time. I know all the coaches through and through. They believed in me early, took my commitment,” Benton said. “A lot of other schools have jumped on board since then. It’s probably going to come down to signing day. I’m just grateful to be in this position.”
Benton will be accompanied on his Texas official visit by his parents and his sister. It will be his first time to see Austin and the first time to meet most of the UT staff, although defensive line coach Bo Davis did pay him an in-home visit last weekend.
“Really I’m just hoping to see good people, definitely people who know the game. I can’t wait to meet coach (Steve) Sarkisian. He’s a great guy. I’ve already met coach Bo in person. He was at my house last Saturday,” Benton said. “He’s a really great guy. It’s going to be great for my family. This is going to be my first time at Texas.
“(Davis) has a lot of experience, has put a lot of guys in the NFL. I was just grateful to have him (at the in-home). He speaks very highly of my senior film, the type of player I am. He was glad to be there.”
Benton’s not only a standout on the field. He carries a lofty GPA and academics will be a big part in his decision. Benton hopes to major in pre-med or business.
“That’s going to be a factor we’ll talk about after my Texas visit,” Benton said. “Me and my family will sit down, talk about it before signing day.”
Another factor in Benton’s decision will be the loyalty that West Virginia has shown him by extending an early offer, bringing him in for a summer official visit and taking his commitment in mid-June.
“It definitely carries a lot of weight. It’s a testament to how genuine they are, what kind of coaching staff they have,” Benton said. “There’s a lot of truth there. I was grateful last summer to go there and enjoy my official visit. They wanted to me to commit and then about two weeks later I committed.”
Texas has an interesting recruiting assistant in current Longhorn commitment Malik Muhammad. Benton and Muhammad played at IMG Academy together and developed a close bond during the time they were there.
“We go back because we were at IMG together for a semester before he went back. He lived in the room right next to me. We had a pretty tight connection,” Benton said.
With his Texas visit up next, Benton still has a lot to sort through. As he said, it’s a close race down the stretch and the Longhorns will put their best foot forward this weekend. From there, we should have a final answer from the talented d-lineman in the next two weeks.