Name: Rayshaun Benny
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 296 lbs.
High school: Oak Park (MI) Oak Park
Position: Defensive tackle
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #26
Last year: I ranked Benny #25 and said he would be a backup defensive tackle (LINK). He made 27 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, and 2 pass breakups.
TTB Rating: 81
Benny had a relatively stealthy first couple years on campus. But last year he seemed to take a leap forward and became a force on the interior defensive line. Not only did his production increase (from 13 tackles to 27), but he was pushing around offensive linemen and forced a key fumble against Penn State. So it was unfortunate when he broke his ankle against Alabama and couldn't be on the field for the national championship game.
This year Benny is going to play a bigger role as the #3 defensive tackle behind Kenneth Grant and Mason Graham. Gone are Kris Jenkins, Jr. and Cam Goode. Michigan tried to snag one or two nose tackles in the transfer portal, but they were unsuccessful. So there's a fair amount of pressure on Benny and he could be a focal point of the defensive line in 2025 if Graham and Grant decide to go to the NFL after their third year. Reports indicate Benny is back to full strength, and if he's indeed back to pre-injury form, we should see a very good performance this year.
Prediction: Backup defensive tackle
He flashed that he is a good B-10 lineman and if he continues to develop, an NFL guy. We need him to play key minutes and perform in what I expect to be the best Defense in the country. ETTA is his wingman. LFG!
ReplyDeleteTo me, Benny is the most important backup on the roster (besides QB2). I see him as the replacement for Jenkins, playing beside Grant and Graham fairly often -- that means opportunities will abound cuz those guys are going to see a lot of double teams. Maybe he won't play quite as many snaps as Jenkins but I still ranked him above a bunch of starters because of the importance of DT and the fact that Pierce and Etta are unproven and the coaching staff was trying to recruit more DT from the Portal but failed.
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