Indiana Freshman Kahlil Benson Out For Season with Torn ACL

Benson was ranked the No. 17 prospect in Mississippi and the No. 38 offensive guard nationally by ESPN.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The injury bug hit Indiana football once again this offseason.

First it was Marcelino Ball with a torn ACL, then it was Raheem Layne with an undisclosed injury who is out for an unknown amount of time, and now it's one of the Hoosiers' newcomers.

Tom Allen announced Monday that true freshman Kahlil Benson has torn his ACL and is out for the season.

The injury happened during last week's practices. Allen specified it wasn't during Saturday's scrimmage.

Benson is an offensive lineman from Southaven, Mississippi. At Southaven High School, Benson was the team captain and a first-team all-state selection.

He played in the 2020 International Bowl and was ranked the No. 17 prospect in Mississippi and the No. 38 offensive guard nationally by ESPN.

Although Benson wasn't likely to see any playing time this season with the experience and depth of Indiana's offensive line, this injury will halt his growth on the field as he now needs to spend the next few months solely on rehab.

At 6-foot-6 and 332 pounds, Benson could become a major part of Indiana's offensive line in the future.

"I just really hate this for him," Allen said. "But awesome young man, we really got big plans for him. We know he's going to be a very very good football player for us, and that hasn't changed."

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