Get to Know Your Orange Man: #87, TE Luke Benson

Name: Luke Benson

Position: Tight End

Year: Sophomore

Height: 6’3”

Weight: 216 lbs

Hometown: Chalfont, PA

High School: Central Bucks West

2019 stats: Not many true freshmen get an opportunity to make an impact on the field, let alone play. Benson featured in all 12 games in 2019 and started two. He may have only caught eight passes for 176 yards, but he still recorded three touchdowns. Benson’s season earned him Pro Football Focus All-Freshman third team honors.

2020 projections: Technically Benson is the third-string tight end on the roster, but he is SU’s second choice offensively behind Aaron Hackett. Syracuse does like to run two tight end setups, so expect to still see Benson feature periodically here and there. However, don’t underestimate his offensive value. Benson ranks third among returning SU players in receiving yards and second in receiving touchdowns.

How’d he get here?: Syracuse battled with in-state programs UPenn and Temple along with New York rivals Buffalo, Albany, and Army to gain Benson’s signature.

What’d recruiting sites say?: Three stars from ESPN and 247Sports, but two stars from Rivals. Can’t make everyone happy I guess.

Money quote: What’s Benson’s main trait as a player? The fact that he ran track in high school might give away the answer. But he knows where else to improve to get better.

“Absolutely my speed is the base of my game, to be honest. I’m trying to become a more complete player. I need to improve my blocking and my overall game to reach the next level.”

Twitter feed: @lukebenson35

Tweets of wonder: Benson doesn’t tweet much, but Tommy DeVito knows who his targets are this season. Guess who’s one of them.

What movie would Dino recommend for him?: This one’s easy. Benson has “Rocky IV” as his header picture on his twitter page. Just watch it again, and again, and again. Can’t fault the classics.

Interesting nugget o’interest: I mentioned Benson ran track in high school. What I didn’t say was how good he was. Benson won his conference championship in the 100-meter dash and placed eighth at states. He also claimed to run an unofficial 4.4 40-yard dash. That’s lightning quick, let alone for a tight end.

Let’s get a look at ya: What was Benson’s first touchdown catch of the season? Oh, just a 70-yard dash and score, the second longest TD by a tight end in ‘Cuse history.