DoAfter accumulating over 1,900 yards from scrimmage and 18 total touchdowns during the 2018 college football season, Arizona State running back Eno Benjamin was still able to find enough time to chat with me about his influential past, favorite plays, preferred leisure activities, and much more. Learn a bit about one of the top RBs in the 2020 class by checking out the interview below!
Question 1: Throughout your life, what has driven you to get to the point that you’re at right now? Was it an event that took place in your past, a goal you’ve set for the future, or both?
Answer 1: Football is what has gotten me to the point that I am now. It’s always kept me focused and kept me from following the same path my brother did. Competition is another factor that drives me, man. I just want to be the best in everything I do.
Q2: What’s your favorite non-football related activity to do in your free time?
A2: I’m either binge-watching a TV series or playing video games. Before college, I used to fish and go to the lake here and there.
Q3: What’s one underrated skill you work on during every practice that the general public may not realize is so important to you?
A3: I would say my eyes and feet. I spend a lot of time studying film on opponents and training my eyes on where they should be vs. the defense so I know what to expect, and it pays off big time during games. As well as being able to run a specific track with my feet/body and being able to make that cut with my eyes in the opposite direction.
Q4: What’s your favorite running play and why?
A4: I love any type of power or counter, but my favorite probably has to be inside zone. I understand my offensive lineman’s calls as far as who is doubling who and who is working to which backer. So being able to see the play before it happens is great and allows me to play really fast without thinking.
Q5: Is there a certain NFL running back, either active or retired, that you’ve molded your game after? If so, what led you to shape your game after this player in particular?
A5: There’s not one certain RB that I try to model my game after. I watch many different RBs and add pieces of their game to mine. Walter Payton, Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith, Saquon, and Bell are a few to name.
Q6: I’m sure your number one goal for the upcoming college football season is to bring home a National Championship to ASU, but do you have any individual goals for this upcoming season? If so, what are they?
A6: No personal statistical goal for myself as of right now. Winning is the biggest thing on my mind and doing whatever that takes is what I plan on doing.
Long story short, Eno Benjamin is awesome and I’ll be purchasing his NFL jersey as soon as it hits the shelves. Not only is he a great guy, however; he’ll be an excellent running back at the next level. Not convinced? Keep scrolling and you’ll find my player evaluation of Benjamin, highlighting the reasons why his game will translate seamlessly to the NFL.
Purely from a football perspective, Benjamin is as mature as they come. He has a firm grip on the subtleties of the game, honing in on these often overlooked skills in practice. During a typical college football practice, your average running back would simply run through the drills, get some reps in, hit the weight room, and call it a day. Eno Benjamin isn’t your average running back. As he stated in the interview, Benjamin’s main focus on the practice field and in the film room is to establish a flawless connection between his eyes and his feet, perfecting his ability to look in one direction and explode down the field in the other.
He studies the tendencies of opposing defenders and makes note of their weaknesses. Benjamin then proceeds to successfully expose these weaknesses every Saturday, which is apparent in his 1,900 yards, 18 touchdowns sophomore year stat line. If a player is willing to put in this much extra time to improve the most subtle details of his game, he’s already taken the first step towards a successful career at the next level.
When talking about his favorite play to run, Benjamin showed clear favoritism towards the inside zone. This answer didn’t surprise me in the least bit, simply because of his previous answer about his eyes and feet hinted towards his preferred style of running being instinctual. This next answer confirmed it. When an inside zone run play is called, Benjamin immediately mentally processes the blocking assignments of each of his offensive linemen and uses this information to predict where the hole will be.
Assuming all the blocking schemes go as planned, Benjamin’s preconceived notion of the hole’s location is correct, and he explodes through it with an impressive combination of power and poise. If the blocking schemes don’t go as expected and Benjamin’s plan falls apart, he still doesn’t miss a beat. As I stated earlier, Benjamin processes the play in his head before the snap of the ball. He also accounts for the fact that the play may be disrupted by a defender and plans accordingly for this possibility as well. As a result, Benjamin is able to retain his composure in an adverse situation of this manner, relying on his elite instinctual capabilities to guide him in the proper direction. When Benjamin stated that he prefers to play “really fast without thinking,” he certainly wasn’t lying.
I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into the life of a superstar college running back because I had a blast going back and forth with Eno. Not only is he one of the more impressive players in all of college football; he’s a genuine, normal guy that enjoys binge-watching TV shows and playing video games just like the rest of us. Go get him on your devy rosters before it’s too late, and keep your fingers crossed he lands on your favorite NFL team. You won’t regret it.
Thanks for reading, and don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @dynastyff_kyle for more dynasty and devy content!
