Signing Day: Indiana Adds Benson, Mayala to 2020 Class
Updated 11;10 a.m.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — National Signing Day in February isn't what it used to be on the college football calendar now that the December signing date gets most of the attention. But it's still a big day, and Indiana has been busy.
The Hoosiers have signed two players thus far today. Kahlil Benson, a 6-foot-6, 332-pun offensive lineman from Southhaven, Miss., just signed with the Hoosiers moments ago.
The first player to sign his National Letter of Intent on Wednesday morning was Jalen Mayala, a 6-foot-5, 230-pound defensive end from Dacula, Ga. He's tall and lean, and will be someone who might benefit the most from Indiana's weight-room routine.
He made an official visit to Bloomington in late January and committed a few days later. He chose Indiana over other offers from Arizona, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Purdue, Rutgers, Central Florida, UCLA, Virginia, Wake Forest and others.
Benson visited Bloomington two weekends ago on an official visit, and he raved about the time he and his family had at Indiana. m
“I went on the visit with my mom and my aunt and we couldn’t stop talking about it,” Benson told Peegs.com. “They loved it and we loved it. I loved everything about it. I had a good time with the coaches and the players. I don’t know if I can say exactly what I liked about it because everything was awesome.”
The three-star recruit said after being at Indiana he knew he would be comfortable going away from home to play for the Hoosiers.
“After being there, I do feel very comfortable about going that far from home,” he said. “I feel like it would be a good place for me because of the coaches and the relationship we have built. I just love the relationship that we’ve built. I just feel comfortable there and I related to them a lot. I just want to go somewhere that will be comfortable for me and my family if I go five or six hours away. After talking with Coach (Tom) Allen and being around him for the weekend, I do feel like I would fit in well there.”
We will continue to update this story as other signings become official.
What we're watching for today
The most interesting name on Indiana's radar today is Sidney Williams, a highly regarded 3-star defensive back. He had SEC interest early in his senior year but a broken thumb pushed back his progress. He's said to prefer Florida State right now, but the Seminoles hadn't offered him yet, waiting on some higher targets to decide on Wednesday.
That Florida State offer finally came late Tuesday night, so we'll have to see how that plays out.
UPDATED: Williams has signed with Florida State.
There are a handful of others will who be making signing-day decisions too.
Here's the complete Indiana 2020 class:
TODAY: Jalen Mayala, defensive end
- Hometown (School): Archer HS, Dacula, Ga.
- Height/Weight: 6-foot-5, 230 pounds
- Ranking: 3 stars
- The skinny: Malaya had 56 tackles, five tackles for loss and two sacks as a senior at Archer, playing mostly at outside linebacker out of team need. As a junior, he played defensive end and that is what he will play at Indiana. Mayala is ranked the number 51 weak-side defensive in the nation and the number 107 player in the state of Georgia in the 2020 class according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.
TODAY: Kahlil Benson, offensive tackle
- Hometown (School): Southaven HS, Southaven, Miss.
- Height/Weight: 6-foot-6, 332 pounds
- Ranking: 3 stars
- The skinny: Indiana needed to bolster its offensive line in this class, and they've done that. Adding Benson was a nice bonus to top it all off, too.
David Baker, wide receiver
- Hometown (School): Scecina HS, Indianapolis, Ind.
- Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 200 pounds
- Ranking: 3 stars
- The skinny: Baker was an all-state receiver at Scecina for two straight years. Baker played receiver and cornerback for Scecina, finishing his senior year with 41 catches for 493 yards, six receiving touchdowns. He also intercepted three passes, recovered a fumble and blocked a punt. Baker had 63 catches for 799 yards and 11 TDs as a junior, according to the Indianapolis Star.
Tim Baldwin Jr., running back
- Hometown (School): Patriot HS, Nokesville, Va.
- Height/Weight: 6-foot, 210 pounds
- Ranking: 3 stars, 643rd nationally, 18th in Virginia, 47th at position
- The skinny: Indiana got a flip out of Baldwin, who was a former Michigan commit. He rushed for 1,604 yards and 25 touchdowns this season and led Patriot to a 10-2 record, its first 10-win season in school history. He is one of nine players who will enroll early at Indiana. "We want to recruit great kids, and we get that with Tim,'' Indiana running backs coach Mike Hart said. "He's a guy we really wanted. He's a big, strong, fast back and we're excited to add him to our team.''
AJ Barner, tight end
- School/Hometown: Aurora HS, Aurora, Ohio
- Height/Weight: 6-foot-6, 225 pounds
- Ranking: 3 stars
- The skinny: Barner was also a late flip to Indiana. He's been a two-way player as well, and won several and state defensive honors as a linebacker. "I couldn't be more excited about AJ,'' Indiana tight ends coach Nick Sheridan said. "He's super tough and super competitive and comes from a great family. I'm thrilled to have him.''
Bryson Bonds, defensive back
- School/Hometown (School): Crowley HS, Crowley, Texas
- Height/Weight: 6-foot-1, 200 pounds
- Ranking: 3 stars, 139th in Texas, 69th at position
- The skinny: Bonds was ranked the second-best safety in the Fort Worth area by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and a second-team all-state selection. He was an academic all-state selection and had offers from eight Ivy League schools.
Brady Feeney, offensive lineman
- Hometown (School): Christian Brothers HS, St. Louis, Mo.
- Height/Weight: 6-foot-4, 325 pounds
- Ranking: 3 stars
- The skinny: A former Rice commitment, Allen loves his size. Feeney was a St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Super 30 selection ."Brady Feeney is a big old guard, a320-pound guy, got a girth in there. (Indiana offensive line) Coach (Darren Hiller) did a really good job of identifying these types of bodies that we're looking for for each spot.''
Luke Haggard, offensive lineman
- School/Hometown: Santa Rosa Junior College, Petaluma, Calif.
- Height/Weight: 6-foot-7, 265 pounds
- Ranking: 3 stars, 83rd in nation (JUCO), 17th in California (JUCO), 12th at position (JUCO)
- The skinny: Haggard was a late commitment to Indiana. "He's a junior college guy who qualified out of high school, a guy that plays a lot of defense, and goes to offense when he goes to junior college. He's 6-7 and lean, but he has an athletic skill set.''
Randy Holtz, offensive lineman
- School/Hometown: Snider HS, Fort Wayne, Ind.
- Height/Weight: 6-foot-7, 350 pounds
- Ranking: 3 stars
- The skinny: This was a good get for the Hoosiers, because Holtz was considering both Indiana and Purdue. He won several state honors and is one of six finalists for the overall Mr. Football award. "He's a guy you can say can do both inside spots. It's nice to be able to have a guy that can be in both of those spots. He's 6-7 and 350-plus pounds. He's a rather large human being,'' Allen said.
Christopher Keys, defensive back
- Hometown (School): Collins HS, Collins, Miss.
- Height/Weight: 6-foot, 175 pounds
- Ranking: 3 stars, 982nd in nation, 15th in Mississippi, 46th at position
- The skinny: Keys played in Mississippi's North-South All-Star game. He picked off six passes and returned one kickoff and one punt for a touchdown as a senior and was selected to the Mississippi Association of Coaches All-Region Super 22 Team as a junior and senior He also lettered in track and field.
Cameron Knight, offensive lineman
- Hometown (School): Noblesville HS, Noblesville, Ind.
- Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 260 pounds
- Ranking: 3 stars
- The skinny: Knight is a Class 6A all-state selection and the younger brother of former Indiana lineman Brandon Knight, who currently plays in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys. "He's come to our camp, a good athlete, ran well, change of direction, strong, tough. We know what we're getting because of his brother, the family, and the mindset he's going to be for us,'' Allen said.
Damarjhe Lewis, defensive tackle
- Hometown (School): Griffin HS, Griffin, Ga.
- Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 295 pounds
- Ranking: 3 stars, 691st in nation, 70th in Georgia, 57th at position
- The skinny: A former Auburn commit, Lewis was an all-state selection who chose Indiana over Tennessee, West Virginia, Florida State, Miami, Penn State, and Florida, among others. "He was committed to an SEC school, and he fits that build,'' Allen said. "He's 6-foot3 and 290-some pounds out of high school. He's athletic, has high energy, and is disruptive. We always talk about twitch, explosiveness, just pop that these guys play with. He has that.
They're hard to find, those are guys that are valuable guys. Another one that just brings a lot of energy. I think he's going to bring a lot of juice to that room. He's going to practice hard, play hard. He has a really good personality about him.''
Caleb Murphy, defensive end
- Hometown (School): West Washington HS, Campbellsburg, Ind.
- Height/Weight: 6-foot-4, 260 pounds
- Ranking: 3 stars
- The skinny: Murphy played at a small school in southern Indiana, but don't let that fool you. He's a top-10 recruit in Indiana "and is a really smart kid,'' Indiana defensive coordinator Kane Wommack said. "Indiana has always been my dream school, and as soon as they offered, I said yes,'' Murphy said. "I can't wait to get there and get started.'' Murphy arrived on campus in January.
- READ ALL ABOUT CALEB MURPHY: Sports Illustrated's Tom Brew's second "Next Generation'' takeout featured Murphy and all that his southern Indiana community went through this fall following the death of his high school coach, Phillip Bowsman. To read that story, CLICK HERE
Dylan Powell, offensive lineman
- Hometown (School): Stanford University (graduate transfer), Hannibal, Mo.
- Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 290 pounds
- Ranking: 3 stars (in high school)
- The skinny: Power is a graduate transfer from Stanford and will probably have two years remaining at Indiana. "We said it would be nice to have an older guy. That's where Dylan Powell gives us a chance to get a grad transfer from Stanford. He's an excellent student. I think he gives us a chance to kind of fill some of those holes you have in the upper part of our class that I feel like over time have kind of been creative with some injuries and caused guys not to be able to finish.''
Javon Swinton, wide receiver
- Hometown (School): North Stafford HS, Stafford, Va.
- Height/Weight: 6-foot-2, 170 pounds
- Ranking: 3 stars
- The skinny: Swinton had offers from Virginia, South Carolina and Syracuse, among others. He's a two-way player who is also a standout basketball player, and some have called him the best all-around athlete in the state of Virginia. Swinton is an outstanding defensive back, but he wants to start his career as a wide receiver, Allen said.
Lem Watley-Neely, defensive back
- School/Hometown: Harper Woods HS, Harper Woods, Mich.
- Height/Weight: 6-foot, 175 pounds
- Ranking: 3 stars
- The skinny: Neely-Watley has played on both sides of the ball, but he's going to start out as a defensive back at Indiana. "(Indiana) recruited me hard; I felt like I belonged there, it felt like family," he told the Detroit News. "The coaches really showed me love, like they really cared about me.”
Luke Wiginton, offensive lineman
- School/Hometown: Bishop Dwenger HS, Fort Wayne, Ind.
- Height/Weight: 6-foot-5, 285 pounds
- Ranking: 3 stars
- The skinny: Allen said that Luke Wiginton "is a guy out of high school here in Indiana that has the length. Obviously, he needs to develop and get stronger and all that. Basically you want to recruit the things that you can't change. They're not going to usually get much taller once you get them here. Wigginton was a Class 5A Senior All-State selection and was ranked as the No. 10 player in Indiana.
Dexter Williams, quarterback
- School/Hometown: Mount De Sales Academy, Macon, Ga.
- Height/Weight: 6-foot-1, 210 pounds
- Ranking: 3 stars, N/A in nation, 160th in Georgia, 37th at position
- The skinny: Williams is a dual threat quarterback with a big arm that Allen likes. "The thing that stuck out to me about him, initially when you watched his film, is his arm strength,'' Allen said. "To me kind of just become stronger, stronger believer in that the arm talent piece is such a big deal. He has the Big Ten arm talent, then the ability to extend plays with his legs. He gives you that. He has the thickness and girth to be able to play in this conference. 200 pounds coming out of high school. He's going to be a mid-year guy, so he'll get a chance to have that whole extra semester of development.''
Rashawn Williams, wide receiver
- School/Hometown: Martin Luther King HS, Detroit, Mich.
- Height/Weight: 6-foot-2, 200 pounds
- Ranking: 4 stars
The skinny: Williams is the highest-ranked recruit in this class, the only 4-star. He's been all-in for months and even did all he could to help recruit other kids as well. "Rashawn to me is just a very talented young man. I love his work ethic,'' Allen said. "Man, I tell you, he's a worker. I just think he has a chance to come here and really dive into all that we have for him, in his development. He's 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, and has strong hands, runs good routes, makes a lot of tough, contested catches. He's a competitor. Also has a great charisma about him, personality.''
Ty Wise, linebacker
- School/Hometown (School): Carmel HS, Carmel, Ind.
- Height/Weight: 6-foot-2, 220 pounds
- Ranking: 3 stars, N/A in nation, 13th in Indiana, 93rd at position
- The skinny: Wise will be on campus to take part in bowl practices. He had 112 tackles, including 20 for a loss, for Carmel, the Class 6A state champions. Wise also had five sacks, two interceptions, three fumble recoveries and caused two fumbles as a senior. He had 13 tackles in the state finals against Center Grove. "What stood out to us a year ago with Ty are the same things that stood out in the state championship game. He does a phenomenal job with blitz timing and his best football is ahead of him.'' Wise arrived on campus in January.
