Minnesota Football Countdown to Kickoff: #97 Jeremiah Benson
The countdown is officially on.
Today marks just 97days until Minnesota football returns to the field for its 2026 season on September 3 at Huntington Bank Stadium against the Eastern Illinois Panthers.
As we do every year, Gophers Nation will count down to kickoff every day with our Minnesota football countdown to kickoff series.
Each day, we will highlight a current Gopher who wears the number of days remaining till kickoff. For today, that player is true freshman defensive tackle Jeremiah Benson.
Let’s dive into today’s player profile on Jeremiah Benson.
Recruitment Rewind
Benson was a three-star prospect across the industry in the 2206 ercruiting cycle. He took three official visits in his recruitment, making trips to Fresno State, Iowa State, and Minnesota. It was on that official visit to Minnesota that the West Bloomfield, Michigan, native decided to become a Gopher. Benson held over a dozen offers before his decision, mostly from MAC programs.
Benson’s 2026 Outlook
Benson, in the short term, is a redshirt candidate. At 6-foot-2 and 255 pounds, Benson still has quite a bit of mass to add to his frame til he’s ready to place at the collegiate level. That being said, P.J. Fleck and the Gophers are very high on his long-term potential.
“Disruptive, has a huge ceiling, high, high ceiling,” Felck said during signing day about Benson. “From one of the best high school programs in the state of Michigan at West Bloomfield High School. He’ll be bringing those winning habits with him to Minnesota.”
Notably, during his career at West Bloomfield, Benson recorded 73 tackles for loss, including 12.5 sacks, while forcing three fumbles, two pass breakups, and delivering 15 quarterback hits.
