Mississippi offensive lineman Kahlil Benson has signed his National Letter of Intent with Indiana.
Mississippi offensive lineman Kahlil Benson signed his National Letter of Intent with Indiana on Wednesday, the first day of the NLI signing period.
Benson chose the Hoosiers over Mississippi State, where he made his final official visit last weekend and a program he had developed a fairly close connection in recent weeks.
Benson wanted to remain close to home, but the changes in each program's coaching staffs impeded his ability to stay at the top two in-state programs. He had been committed to Ole Miss for five months before de-committing shortly before the Early Signing Period. He had also begun to develop a close relationship with the staff that worked under Joe Moorehead at Mississippi State. New head coach Mike Leach and offensive line coach Mason Miller retained Benson as a top priority, but it wasn't enough to keep Benson in the state.
Nick Sheridan, Darren Hiller and the rest of the Indiana staff had been working hard to make up the ground Mississippi State had on them by each making in-home visits with Benson in Mississippi. The first was just Sheridan, the second was just Hiller and the third was a majority of the Indiana staff.
Benson becomes the seventh addition to the Indiana offensive line in the 2020 class and provides a versatile skillset that can be played at either guard or tackle, depending on how he develops.
