PHENIX CITY, Ala. — Central High School football coach Jamey Dubose is often asked what position he thinks four-star linebacker Markail Benton will play at the next level. The 6-foot-2, 238-pound Alabama signee played just about everywhere during his high school career, primarily switching between inside and outside linebacker.
Dubose typically declines to guess, stating he’ll leave any decision of where to play Benton up to Alabama coaches moving forward. Speaking from experience, the head coach believes the Crimson Tide can’t go wrong wherever it slots the talented defender.
“Markail brings a lot to the table when he gets on the field,” Dubose said. “His athleticism, his speed, his size. There’s a lot of things you can do with him... I know a lot of coaches have talked about many different ways about what they might do with him. I’ve even gone out on a limb and said before he could possibly play safety.”
Benton, the No. 12 outside linebacker and the No. 147 player overall in the 2017 class, will undoubtedly start out at linebacker when he enrolls at Alabama next week. Although, Dubose’s assessment speaks highly of the linebacker’s coverage skills.
During his high school career, Benton was no stranger to coverage assignments, often drawing the task of locking down slot receivers across the middle. In fact, the star linebacker was so imposing Dubose said he even deployed him to cover outside receivers on occasion.
Benton didn’t miss a beat.
“He’s got tremendous speed, can play out on the perimeter and get outside from the inside,” Dubose said. “That’s what the game is now. The game is not just vertical but it’s horizontal also. These defensive coaches want to get guys that can play on the perimeter and play fast. He can do that.”
Benton said he has spent the past couple months going through workouts sent to him by Alabama. When he gets to Tuscaloosa next week he will join a loaded linebacking corps but one that will be looking to fill the holes of three departing starters from last season.
The added competition doesn’t scare Benton. In fact, it’s a big part of the reason he spurned nearby Auburn to sign with the Tide last summer.
“It was a business decision,” Benton said. “You see Alabama, they put people in the NFL. You see Auburn, they do too, but at my position, Alabama has great players at my position that get to the league.”
The former four-star recruit admits it was a little tough to watch from afar as some of Alabama’s younger linebackers gained valuable experience this spring. However, that only made him more hungry heading into the summer.
“I’m going to wait patient and wait my turn,” Benton said. “I just know to myself that I have to go in and work even harder.”
While Benton will inevitably have to battle for playing time with Alabama’s younger linebackers once he steps on campus, he says he has already established a good relationship with plenty of his future teammates. Benton played right beside fellow incoming freshman Dylan Moses for Team Armour during the Under Armour All-America Game on Jan. 1 in Orlando, Fla. He has also had conversations with Alabama linebackers Ben Davis and Mack Wilson about what to expect once he joins the program.
“They just say come in ready to work,” Benton said. “College football is a whole lot different than high school football.”
Benton knows that, but he’s eager to show Alabama coaches he’s a different type of linebacker.
