Arrelious Markus Benn (born September 8, 1988) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

wide receiver. He was drafted by the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...

in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football for

the University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Universi ...

Fighting Illini The Illinois Fighting Illini () are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The university offers 10 men's and 11 women's varsity sports. The University operates a number of athletic faci ...

High school career

A native of

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

, Benn attended Dunbar High School in the

Truxton Circle Truxton Circle is a neighborhood of Northwest Washington, D.C. Politically, it is located in Ward 5. Truxton Circle is bordered by New Jersey Avenue to the west; Florida Avenue to the north; New York Avenue to the south; and North Capitol Str ...

neighborhood, where he was teammates with

Vontae Davis Vontae Ottis Davis (born May 27, 1988) is a former American football cornerback who played for the Miami Dolphins, Indianapolis Colts, and Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Illinois, and was draf ...

and

Nate Bussey Nathan Lee "Nate" Bussey (born February 20, 1989) is a former American football linebacker. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the seventh round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at Illinois. He was also a member of the J ...

. Benn played wide receiver,

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Ther ...

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are two slightly dif ...

, and

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

in high school, and was named a First-team High School

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n his senior season. That year, Benn caught 56 passes for 1,039 yards and nine touchdowns, the first Dunbar player to ever crack the 1,000 yard mark. During his junior season in high school, Benn caught 50 passes for 1,147 yards and 17 touchdowns. Following his high school career, Benn was invited to play in the 2007 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Regarded as a five-star recruit by ''

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'', Benn was ranked as the No. 5 wide receiver prospect in the class of 2007, behind Ronald Johnson, Terrence Toliver, Chris Culliver, and Dwight Jones. Benn chose Illinois over

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, Notre Dame,

Miami (FL) Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at the ...

, and

Florida State Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...

College career

During his freshman season, Benn caught 43 passes for 521 yards (54 passes for 676 yards including the Rose Bowl appearance by Illinois that season); this was the team high for the season and a school record for a freshman. Benn also added 158 yards on 32 carries on the ground, along with returning 10 kickoffs for 280 yards, including a 90-yard kickoff return for touchdown against Penn State, one of his two touchdowns that day.Gary Klein
USC-Illinois accents Rose Bowl tradition
''

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'', December 3, 2007. He was named the 2007

Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

Freshman of the Year. During his sophomore campaign, Benn's stats improved to 67 rec and a Big Ten-leading 1055 yards, along with 3 touchdowns through the air, and also contributed to the run game with 101 yards on 23 carries, with 2 rushing touchdowns. On August 10, 2009 Benn was named to the Walter Camp "Players to Watch" list for its prestigious Player of the Year award, the nation's fourth-oldest individual college football accolade. On August 12, 2009 Benn was named to 2009 Biletnikoff Trophy Watch list. As a junior, Benn suffered a right ankle sprain in the season opener against Missouri, and played injured the rest of the season, appearing in all 12 games, but accumulating only 38 receptions for 490 yards and two touchdowns through the air, to go with 7 carries for 23 yards and one touchdown on the ground. On December 16, 2009, following his junior season, Arrelious Benn announced his decision to enter the 2010 NFL Draft.

College awards and honors

* Maxwell Award Candidate * Bliletnikoff Award Candidate * Preseason Third-team All-American (by Athlon) * Preseason First-team All-Big Ten (by Athlon) * Preseason First-team All-Big Ten wide receiver and kick returner (by Blue Ribbon) * Preseason First-team All-Big Ten (by Lindy's) * Preseason First-team All-Big Ten (by The Sporting News) * Named Big Ten's Fastest Receiver (by The Sporting News) * Rated the No. 20 player in the nation (by The Sporting News) * Rated the No. 19 wide receiver in the nation (by Lindy's) * Rated the No. 1 wide receiver in the Big Ten (by The Sporting News) * 2007 Big Ten Freshman of the Year * 2007 Freshman All-American

Professional career

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Benn was drafted in the second round, pick 39 overall, by the

Philadelphia Eagles

On March 15, 2013, Benn was traded to the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

, along with a 7th-round pick, for a 2013 6th-round pick and a 2014 conditional pick. On March 21, 2013, Benn signed a one-year contract extension through 2014. On August 6, 2013, Benn tore his ACL. On August 7, 2013, Benn was placed on the Injured Reserve list, which officially ended his 2013 season. He was released by the Eagles on May 16, 2014. Benn was re-signed by Philadelphia on May 19. Benn was placed on injured reserve on August 30, 2014. He was waived with an injury settlement on September 6.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Benn signed with the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...

on January 5, 2015. On September 3, 2016, he was released by the Jaguars, but re-signed with the team a day later. The season-opening game marked the first time that Benn had been on an active NFL roster in three years. He scored a 51-yard touchdown in Week 6 against the Chicago Bears after catching a simple slant route, sliding to catch the pass, then getting up and running to the end zone without being touched. This was Benn's first touchdown reception since 2011. On February 15, 2017, the Jaguars re-signed Benn to a one-year deal with a second year option. He was placed on injured reserve on November 18, 2017 with a knee injury. On February 20, 2018, the Jaguars declined the option on Benn's contract, making him a free agent.

References

External links

Illinois profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Benn, Arrelious 1988 births Living people American football wide receivers Illinois Fighting Illini football players Jacksonville Jaguars players Philadelphia Eagles players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Players of American football from Washington, D.C. African-American players of American football Dunbar High School (Washington, D.C.) alumni 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people