Although I grew up in Oklahoma, I always heard about the players from the “Muck”- the region of Florida located just south of Lake Okeechobee that is known for its sugar cane and some of the best football players in the South. If I were to name all of the players that havecome out of Pahokee and Belle Glade you might be scrolling for a while. In 2010, I ventured out to Belle Glade to see what the hype was about. The stories were true. The Belle Glade offense was not as complicated as the Colts’, but two receivers caught my attention that day: Greg Dent and Kelvin Benjamin.
They were out there destroying some poor team, but this was bigger than a tandem of dominant receivers outmatching small defensive backs. Dent was smooth and caught everything thrown his way, while Kelvin Benjamin seemed to be playing wide receiver in a DE’s body. That boy was FAST. Barry Switzer used to say that truly great players only had to be watched for a few minutes before you knew they were great; this was the case with Benjamin.
Throughout that year I found myself all over the country scouting talent in that recruiting class, and my mind kept telling me I hadn’t seen a receiver that could touch Benjamin. As a Cane fan, I hoped he would sign with Miami but eventually Benjamin ended up at FSU and redshirted this past year. I had nearly forgotten about the kid with Sammy Watkins running off with the hearts of football fans last season, but just the other day, Noles quarterback E.J. Manuel sent a tweet regarding Benjamin. It was a polite reminder/warning for people to get to know him now before he’s a household name in 2012. I believe every bit of it. Benjamin is a matchupnightmare, with great speed to go along with a 6’6″ frame. He is the most impressive player I have seen since I have moved to Florida 3 years ago. Benjamin just might be all up in your HD television set come September. The big man in Tally is the first in our “Lurkin” series.
Claude “Broccoli” Clayborne