Texas 4-star RB Eno Benjamin commits to Iowa
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Texas running back Eno Benjamin has said for months that Iowa was his top school.
He did more than say it on Monday.
Benjamin backed up his words by announcing his commitment to Iowa on Twitter.
Excited to announce I am officially committing to the University of Iowa!????????#SWARM https://t.co/f73eFk8H4w pic.twitter.com/SKrwK2pBKX
— Eno Benjamin™ (@eno_benjamin5) April 18, 2016
His announcement was highly anticipated because Benjamin had said about two weeks earlier on Twitter that he would unveil his choice at 6 p.m. on April 18.
Benjamin is the ninth player to commit to Iowa’s 2017 recruiting class and the second running back. Illinois native Ivory Kelly-Martin committed to Iowa earlier this month.
A native of Wylie, Texas, Benjamin picked Iowa over more than two dozen scholarship offers, including one from Michigan.
"It feels great," Benjamin said. "It’s a lot of stress off of me. I hope it slows some things down."
Benjamin is ranked as a four-star recruit after rushing for over 2,600 yards as a junior last season.
"He’s one of the best backs in the country," said veteran recruiting analyst Tom Lemming. "He’s the top back in northern Texas where he ran for a lot of yards last year, first-team all-state.
"He’s a terrific all-around athlete. As a running back, he’s good inside and outside."
The challenge for the Iowa coaches now is to keep Benjamin and the rest of the 2017 recruits committed because verbal commitments aren’t official.
Commitments don’t become official until a recruit signs a national letter of intent. The national signing period for football starts on the first Wednesday in February, which is still nearly 10 months from now.
Benjamin said he plans to enroll early at Iowa and is taking online classes right now.
"I want to do all I can for the team and take us places we’ve never been before," Benjamin said.
With the addition of Benjamin, Iowa now has a five-star prospect and a four-star recruit in the 2017 class. The five-star prospect is defensive end A.J. Epenesa, who is the son of former Iowa defensive lineman Eppy Epenesa and a native of Edwardsville, Ill.
More to come later. In the meantime here is Benjamin’s junior highlight video.
Tyler Devine contributed to this report