Tennessee is in the hunt for a talented wide receiver in the transfer portal.
According to a report from On3 Sports’ Hayes Fawcett on Friday afternoon, former Florida State wide receiver Malik Benson is down to a final three of Oregon, Tennessee, and Kansas State.
On Thursday, On3’s Pete Nakos reported that Benson is lining up visits to Oregon and Tennessee this weekend. Benson previously visited Kansas State on Thursday based on an Instagram post, according to KWCH’s Tejay Cleland.
NEWS: Former Alabama and Florida State WR Malik Benson is down to 3 schools, he tells @On3sports
Benson, the No. 1 Player in JUCO in ‘23, will have another year of eligibility remaining thanks to the Diego Pavia decision https://t.co/RlUbB6Fk7q pic.twitter.com/W5gTtiizRA
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) January 3, 2025
More from RTI: Former Tennessee QB Transferring To Josh Heupel’s Old School
Benson played for Florida State during the Seminoles’ rough year in 2024. The 6-foot-1 wide receiver tallied 311 yards and one touchdown on 25 receptions for Florida State this past season. Benson is a talented wide receiver with good size but was hindered by the Seminoles’ lack of passing game.
Benson began the year fairly strong but the numbers tailed off as Florida State’s season continued to spiral. Benson’s best game this past season came against Memphis in the third game of the season where he recorded 99 yards on just five receptions while his one touchdown came on the road against No. 6 Miami.
Benson earned a 59.7 grade in 437 snaps this past season for Florida State according to PFF. That grade would have been good enough for the fifth-highest amongst the 2024 Tennessee wide receivers.
The Lansing, Kansas, native began his collegiate career at Hutchinson Community College and eventually became the No. 1 JUCO prospect in 2023. Benson played one season at Alabama prior to his time at Florida State where he hauled in 13 catches for 162 yards and a touchdown. During that 2023 season, Benson caught one pass for 17 yards against Tennessee in Tuscaloosa.
The news of Benson’s top three also comes after a big announcement in the world of Tennessee football. According to a report from On3’s VolQuest on Friday morning, Tennessee receiver and former five-star prospect Mike Matthews plans to return to Knoxville for his sophomore season. Considering Tennessee lost a good bit of depth at the receiver position in the portal over the last few weeks, the news from both Matthews and Benson is particularly inspiring.
Tennessee is also reportedly making a push for star Southern Cal transfer wide receiver Zachariah Branch, who does have familiarity with Vols quarterback Nico Iamaleava.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more Tennessee transfer portal news and notes.
