He was on just about every 2009 preseason first-team All-America list. He made the All-Big Ten First Team in 2008. He was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2007.
But for Arrelious Benn, no number of accolades can replace winning.
“At the end of the day, we want to win each game,” the junior wide receiver said at Big Ten Media Day in July. “My individual success means nothing. All I’m focused on is winning.”
Unfortunately for the Illini, wins have been hard to come by this season. And for Benn, so has living up to the preseason hype.
It’s not surprising he was named Phil Steele’s No. 1 wide receiver and ESPN.com’s No. 1 player in the Big Ten. As a sophomore, Benn racked up 1,055 receiving yards and his 1,668 all-purpose yards were third best in school history.
His yardage may have been off the charts, but Benn’s touchdown total has never matched his reputation. Through his first two seasons, Benn caught only five passes in the end zone.
Now a junior, Benn still hasn’t silenced the naysayers. Through Illinois’ first nine games, he has one receiving score. Despite Benn’s lack of goal line production, Illinois coach Ron Zook expects him to be highly enticing to NFL scouts.
“Do you really think the NFL is going to care how many touchdowns he has?” Zook asked. “That’s something that people have brought up, and I guess it’s something, but it’s not by design. What Rejus has meant to this football team the last two years is much greater than the number of touchdowns he scored.”
Benn, nicknamed “Rejus” as an homage to his father’s nickname “Retus,” has also seen his receiving yardage take a major hit this season. The instability surrounding the quarterback position, usually manned by his friend Juice Williams, could be part of the reason for the drop-off.
Benn developed a rapport with the senior quarterback in the offseason – the two practiced together and know what the other is thinking, he said. While Williams wants to get his friend the ball, he shares Benn’s priority of wins over statistics.
“We try to get our playmakers the ball as much as we can, but there’s a lot of times when we get close to the red zone, and guys double- or triple-team (Benn),” Williams said. “I don’t want to force it, I’ll just hit the open guy, but if we can, we’d like to get the ball to him. I’m sure he’d like that as well.”
Though Benn has a team-first mentality, he said choosing Illinois over schools like Florida State, Maryland and Notre Dame was mostly about creating his own path. High school teammate, friend and Illini teammate Vontae Davis was partially influential in his decision, but Benn said he chose Illinois because he “wanted to go against the odds and beat them.”
Benn defied expectations in his first two seasons, making the Rose Bowl as a freshman and ranking near the top of the Illini record book as a sophomore. This year, he has emerged as a leader to remind the younger players of what it takes to make it back to Pasadena.
“It’s a shock to hear from a guy like me who doesn’t speak a lot, and this offseason I stepped up a lot to be a leader,” Benn said. “I want the best out of everyone, and I display it, and I back up everything I do.”
Zook recalled Benn’s defining moment in his evolving leadership role at Big Ten Media Day. In February, some off-the-field incidents caused Benn to call out his teammates, and rather than interfere, the coaches left it in the players’ hands. It was the first time Zook noticed that kind of leadership since arriving in Champaign, Ill.
“In a team atmosphere, there are going to be disagreements occasionally, but there has to be someone who says ‘this is the way we’re going to do this,'” he said. “When Rejus speaks, people listen, and that’s the biggest difference I’ve seen in our football team.”
Some have predicted Benn will bolt for the NFL at the end of the season. But his taste of the Rose Bowl and increased stake in the team will make his decision not so cut-and-dry.
“I have a lot of unfinished business here,” Benn said. “Big Ten title, bigger goals and just getting back to winning ways.”[email protected]
