MIAMI — Oregon football receiver Malik Benson has been patient for almost his entire playing career.
The Lansing, Kansas, product was lightly recruited out of high school, spent two seasons at a community college and then a year each at Alabama and Florida State before settling in Eugene for his senior season.
Over the last half of the season, Benson has proven to be one of the Ducks’ most important players and has continually stepped up when the team has needed him most. He’s been a key piece in helping Oregon to the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Orange Bowl on Jan. 1 against Texas Tech.
But just like his journey so far, it was rough and rocky to start at Oregon.
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Oregon football’s Malik Benson has waited and waited for his opportunity, along each stop of his journey
Despite elite speed for his age and strong tape at Lansing High in Kansas, Benson wasn’t on top of his grades and had to start his college football career at Hutchinson CC three hours away from home.
It was there that Benson knew eventually his opportunities would come.
“You’ve got to work each and every day, the next day is not given,” Benson said. “So you’ve got to put all your eggs in the basket and have to give it your all. You’ve got to put your head down to work and when you bring your head up, hopefully you’re where you want to be.”
Two record-breaking seasons at Hutchinson later, including All-America honors, Benson enrolled as the top junior college recruit in the country at Alabama in 2023.
He played in all 14 games for the Crimson Tide in six starts, catching 13 passes for 162 yards and one lone score. After Nick Saban retired at the end of the year, Benson entered the transfer portal and enrolled at Florida State, enduring a 2-10 season before again hitting the portal and winding up in Eugene.
From there, he started back at step one. Though Benson is one of the oldest players on the 2025 Ducks, he was splitting time with the scout team and regular group early in the season, playing less snaps than his younger counterparts Jeremiah McClellan and Dakorien Moore.
“I didn’t really get fazed by it,” Benson said. “I just know how the season goes. As an older guy, eventually my team was going to lean on me. Once they needed to lean on me, I knew it was my time to take over and just do what I needed to do for my teammates so we could be in a position that we’re at.”
‘He means everything to the room’: Malik Benson emerges when opportunity arrives midseason for Oregon
After playing less than 20 snaps in a 30-20 loss to No. 1 Indiana, despite catching a touchdown, Benson’s workload increased during the back half of the season. Benson’s teammates like Moore and Gary Bryant Jr. suffered injuries that held them out several weeks, and by necessity Benson had to step up.
In an 18-16 victory at Iowa, Benson caught the pass that set up Atticus Sappington’s game-winning field goal on Oregon’s last drive. In a 42-27 home win over USC, Benson — the Ducks’ third-string punt returner at the beginning of the season — took a punt to the house to break the game open.
In each of Oregon’s last two games, against Washington and James Madison, Benson has over 100 yards and has scored three touchdowns over that stretch.
Receivers coach Ross Douglas said Benson has been the perfect leader and example of having patience and waiting for your opportunity.
“He means everything to the room,” Douglas said. “He’s an older guy, great attitude, great effort, great energy.”
That energy, his teammates believe, is a big reason why the senior has found success of late.
Benson leads the Ducks with 645 receiving yards and six touchdowns through 13 games.
“(Benson) is the same guy every day,” McClellan said. “You know what you’re always going to get out of him. He comes in there with great energy in meetings. No matter if he’s on scout team or if he’s running with the ones, no matter what he’s going to run out there with great energy.
“It’s props to him, always having great energy. The ball finds great energy.”
Benson isn’t sure what his future holds. The senior has technically only played three years of NCAA Division I, non-junior college football, including the 2025 season with Oregon. In the ever-changing landscape of college athletics, both Benson and his coach are unsure if Benson has any eligibility left once the season is over.
That said, Benson isn’t really worried about his future right now. His focus is 100% on the Orange Bowl against Texas Tech.
“I just try to be 100% and 10 toes down right now,” Benson said. “Because I know if I get to thinking about that, I’m going to let this time slip away. I want to enjoy this time with my teammates.”
Alec Dietz covers University of Oregon football and women’s basketball for The Register-Guard. You may reach him at [email protected].
