Instant impact
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - It's nearly 1 p.m. and Arrelious Benn is curled up on an oversized leather couch in the Illinois players' lounge. VH1's Flavor Of Love: Charm School playing in the background as he tries to get some much-needed rest.
These days, it's the pursuit of a nap that has become the freshman wide receiver's biggest challenge.
On this day, he is out the door at 8 a.m. to attend three classes. Then he gets taped for practice, goes to special teams meetings followed by meetings with his position coach, works through a 2 1/2-hour practice, eats dinner, hits the books at study hall -- and then he watches game film. He is lucky to be in bed by midnight.
"We spend most of our time here [at the football facility]," Benn said. "It's very rare that you get out and have any free time."
For all intents and purposes, Benn should be living it up back in his native Washington D.C., milking the last few weeks of his senior year. Instead, the five-star recruit, ranked No. 24 by Rivals.com, is in Champaign. Benn joined the growing trend of players graduating high school early to enroll in college and go through spring practice. It's a chance to become acclimated to the rigors of college academics without the havoc of the football season and -- most importantly -- to make an immediate impact on the playing field. Prom be damned. "I did that last year," Benn said smiling.
But Benn isn't completely giving up high school; the 6-foot-1, 210-pounder says he'll return to Dunbar High for graduation. But he has his sights set on bigger things, like starting for the Fighting Illini in their season opener against Missouri -- and waiting until summer camp to showcase his skills wasn't an option.
"I look at it [as] if I would have come in with all the other guys, there would have been no way I would have been ready to play," Benn said. "Just going through everything, just learning the playbook and stuff, it was just going to be a lot."
And he's not alone in that thinking. Quarterbacks Jimmy Clausen (Notre Dame) -- Rivals' top-ranked recruit -- Ryan Mallett (Michigan), Willy Korn (Clemson) and Cameron Newton (one of nine Florida early enrollees) are among the many players who are already on their respective campuses.
"Coming early is not for everybody, but if a guy is mature enough to handle it, it's a great thing," Illinois coach Ron Zook said.
While many players have been able to make a lasting impression after enrolling early -- including Maurice Clarett (Ohio State), Derrick Williams (Penn State), Tim Tebow (Florida) and Myron Rolle (Florida State) -- becoming an immediate contributor isn't always in the cards.
Just look at Nate Hybl, who entered Georgia in 1998 only to redshirt and transfer to Oklahoma; Brock Berlin, who couldn't beat out Rex Grossman for the Florida starting QB job and left for Miami in 2001; Josh Portis, who transferred out of Florida last year; and USC's John David Booty.
John David Booty may be a preseason Heisman candidate now, but his path to Trojans starting QB was a twisted one. He graduated from high school an entire year early and enrolled at USC with designs on competing for the starting spot vacated by Carson Palmer. Three years later, he finally became USC's starter.
John David Booty had intended on graduating a semester early, not an entire year. But then his dad, who was his high school quarterbacks coach, was fired after his junior season. Looking back, he wishes he wouldn't have left so early.
"I definitely wish I could have stayed and had my senior year," Booty said. "That was something I was really looking forward to."
His first days at Illinois, Benn was understandably overwhelmed. Ten days after playing in the Army All-American game, he was in Champaign. He left his steady girlfriend, mother and four brothers behind and was now thrust into life as a college student taking 14 hours of classes a week -- on top of having to digest the playbook.
Benn had to learn Illinois' complex no-huddle offense, an attack predicated on watching the sideline to see what play was being called. And unlike the fall, when the plays are dwindled down to that week's specific gameplan, Benn had to consume the entire playbook.
"Sometimes it got a little stressful," he said. "Sometimes I was like, 'Forget it, I'm just going to sleep.' Sometimes I did that and sometimes I spent a while [in the football facility], just coach showing me signals."
He still makes the occasional mistake -- like getting pulled aside by offensive coordinator Mike Locksley for not making the defender think he was running a hitch before cutting up the field -- but Benn has thrived in the chaos, quickly climbing up the depth chart to the first team.
"Everything's slowed down for me now," he said. "I'm starting to get to work on my ability now to make plays instead of thinking and just react."
While players like Benn continue to make the jump more and more appealing, some NCAA legislation may effect the sheer number of players enrolling early. A rule that was passed in 2003 and will go into effect for the Class of '08 will require freshmen to have 16 credits of core classes instead of 14 to start college. This will place an added burden on players trying to adjust to college life early.
Regardless, it's unlikely the new rules will have an effect on the top-flight recruits looking for an edge. Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Mike Farrell says it's going to take something much more tangible than added credits to stop the flood of players graduating early.
"The only thing that's going to slow this down is if people see kids arriving early and not seeing the fruits of their labor," he said. "By that I mean some big names, like a Jimmy Clausen or a Matthew Stafford or [former Arkansas quarterback] Mitch Mustain, getting there early and not getting on the field regardless. But that hasn't happened yet."
That's not likely to happen with Benn, either. In Illinois' spring game, Benn gave the crowd a taste of his playmaking abilities, taking a pass over the middle from quarterback Isiah "Juice" Williams and turning it into a 64-yard gain.
Picking over a plate of shrimp at team dinner inside Memorial Stadium, Benn is still two hours of study hall and a film session away from calling it a day. He gave up those final carefree days of high school, trading it in for a marathon of a schedule that has him pining for some midday Zs. But it's proving to be well worth it.
"I recommend coming in early. It's helped me a lot," he said. "If I would have come in during the summer my head would be spinning."
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