Alabama football lands Malik Benson, nation's No. 1 junior college recruit for 2023

Nick Kelly, The Tuscaloosa News
·2 min read
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Alabama football has seen an influx of 2023 commits the past week or so, and that continued Tuesday.

Malik Benson, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound receiver from Hutchinson (Kansas) Community College, announced his commitment to the Crimson Tide.

247Sports ranks him not only the top junior college receiver but also the top JUCO prospect overall for the 2023 class. He also had offers from Georgia, LSU, Oregon and Tennessee, among others.

Alabama assistant coach Freddie Roach is listed as the primary recruiter and Holmon Wiggins as the secondary recruiter.

Benson, who's from Lansing, Kansas, played in 11 games this past season. He caught 43 passes for 1,229 yards and 11 touchdowns. He averaged 28.6 yards per reception.

Benson is the 11th recruit to announce his commitment to Alabama and the latest this week. Anniston offensive lineman RyQueze McElderry, a three-star prospect, announced his pledge to the Crimson Tide on Monday.

In late June, Alabama also received commitments from five-star defensive back Tony Mitchell, four-star receiver Cole Adams, four-star offensive lineman Wilkin Formby, three-star athlete Brayson Hubbard and JUCO linebacker Justin Jefferson.

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Adams and Benson are the only two receivers in the 2023 class for the Crimson Tide so far.

After Benson's commitment, the 247Sports Composite ranked Alabama No. 8 overall for its 2023 recruiting class, moving up from No. 19.

Benson was a teammate of Miles Kitselman, a tight end who Alabama added late to its 2022 class. Alabama was on Hutchinson's campus to see Benson but Kitselman also caught the attention of the Crimson Tide.

Nick Kelly covers Alabama football and men's basketball for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at nkelly@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter: @_NickKelly

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Malik Benson commits to Alabama football as No. 1 2023 juco prospect