FSU RB Benson to enter draft, skip Orange Bowl

Dec 17, 2023, 02:29 PM ET

Florida State running back Trey Benson will enter the NFL draft and will not play in the Capital One Orange Bowl for the Seminoles, he announced Sunday.Benson, who rushed for 905 yards and 14 touchdowns this season while balancing 5.8 backyards per bring, is the No. 2-rated running back by ESPN NFL draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. “I can not start to reveal how valuable my two years here have actually been, specifically the relationships I’ve made with colleagues, coaches, athletic training, scholastic staff and the whole FSU family, “Benson said in an announcement published to X. “I will permanently carry FSU with me wherever I go.”Benson, a redshirt junior who had a long rehabilitation journey following significant knee surgical treatment at Oregon in 2020, moved to FSU

and instantly found success, hurrying for 990 yards and nine goals in 2022. He likewise had a getting goal and a kickoff return in his two seasons at FSU, offering him 25 overall TDs in two seasons.He was possibly at his best in rivalry games: Benson had a combined 10 touchdowns in Florida State’s four games versus Miami and Florida, including three TD runs in the November 2023 success at The Swamp.Senior defensive tackle Fabien Lovett, the Seminoles’top reserve at the position, likewise announced Sunday he’ll give up the Orange Bowl to prepare for the NFL draft.Lovett had 22 takes on and 4 deals with for loss this fall. He concluded a profession in which he had 93 tackles and six sacks, the majority of them at Florida State after his transfer from Mississippi State following the 2019 season.The Seminoles play Georgia in the Orange Bowl on Dec. 30(4 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN +/ ESPN App ). ESPN’s Andrea Adelson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.