The veteran defensive lineman should be good to go this fall after a brutal injury in Pasadena.
The interior of Michigan’s defensive line this upcoming season should be among the very best in all of college football. Mason Graham is a household name, commonly being included in the top-10 of way-too-early NFL mock drafts. Meanwhile, Kenneth Grant is a freak athlete and will finally be a starter this fall after waiting patiently behind guys who are now in the pros.
Behind those two is another key piece to Michigan’s defense — senior Rayshaun Benny. The Oak Park, Michigan native made some big plays last season, with perhaps the most notable being a forced fumble on Drew Allar early in the third quarter against Penn State.
Fumble and @UMichFootball comes up with it! pic.twitter.com/IO138pmYN5
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 11, 2023
Unfortunately, Benny suffered a broken fibula in the Rose Bowl victory over Alabama in the College Football Playoff. He has not been able to fully suit up since that injury, but it appears he is close.
“Recovering from it real well,” Benny recently told Alejandro Zuniga of 247Sports. “Everything is aligning and we’re looking good for where we gotta be for Aug. 31.”
Additionally, Benny said he “should be full-go by the season,” which starts on the aforementioned Aug. 31 date, a home primetime game against Fresno State.
But that doesn’t mean his injury is completely healed as of today, and it also doesn’t mean the process has been easy on him. However, new strength and conditioning coach Justin Tress has been a huge asset in helping Benny get through some tough times.
“At first, it was just real dark, just being alone, being away from the guys,” Benny said. “Maybe (Tress) could tell, but it just didn’t feel good being by myself. Once I got past the hard part and the roadblock to where I didn’t feel like I was alone, I did recognize and I realized that I’m part of a team still. Then it was a lot easier knowing I had to support my teammates.”
Benny will now be looking to build off an otherwise solid junior season where he accumulated 27 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, one sack, two pass breakups and the one fumble recovery. Whenever he comes back, he will be the first guy off the bench and provide valuable depth to a position of strength for the Wolverines.