West Virginia Football: 10 best individual seasons under Dana Holgorsen
By Phil Poling
No. 5: Al-Rasheed Benton, Linebacker | 2017
One of the most unexpected contributors to pass through Morgantown in recent memory, Al-Rasheed Benton was a gift to the Mountaineers over the past few seasons. He managed only 107 tackles through the first three years of his career, but did that plus more as a senior.
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Standing in the middle of Tony Gibson’s defense, Benton evolved into a leader late in his career. He led the team with 110 tackles, was second on the ‘Eers with 13.5 tackles for loss, and routinely made big plays.
He contributed in other facets of the game, too, adding three sacks, two interceptions, three pass deflections, and a forced fumble.
The last Mountaineer to record at least 100 tackles in a single season was No. 8 on our list, Karl Joseph. And only three WVU players have done it since 2005. Basically, player’s don’t have season’s like the 2017 campaign Benton put together. It may not be apparent right now, but his contributions as a player and leader will last at WVU.
Benton’s game isn’t full of flashy splash plays, but his consistency is something that’ll be missed following his graduation. He signed a deal with the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent following the 2018 NFL Draft in April.