Benjamin is a 6-4, 211, redshirt Senior receiver from Tampa, FL. He has a unique career path for a player who is expected to see significant playing time in the receiver rotation. Benjamin was originally on scholarship with USF where he redshirted in 2013 and then did not play a down in 2014. In 2015 he left the team and decided to transfer to Arizona as a walk-on for the 2016 season as a redshirt Junior. The coaches hoped that Benjamin would get a waiver to play last year, but the NCAA thought otherwise.
Now Benjamin is a redshirt Senior who has yet to see the field despite a lot of time on the practice field. Usually, you wouldn't expect much from a player who didn't see the field until his 5th year in college, but Benjamin is working hard to be the exception. He has impressed his teammates since arriving at Arizona and was running with the 1's and 2's during spring ball. Here is a good article on Benjamin from Jason Bartel, AZDS, and below are some key quotes.
At 6-4, Benjamin gives us some much needed size and should see significant playing time and battle for a starting role.“Coming back into things, especially at this speed, I think that year on the scout team really helped me get back into things,” Benjamin said. “Get back into routes, mechanics, and it was just a big year for me.”
“I think Zach runs the best comeback out of all the receivers,” Shawn Poindexter said of what stands out about Benjamin now. “That just shows that sitting out a year and perfecting his craft, his body, and his space shows that he’s going to be a huge asset for us this year.
“Watching Zach from scout to us, there wasn’t a big difference because Zach brought his all during scout and he’s doing it now,” Poindexter continued. “He knows he’s going to have to compete for a spot right now, and if he continues to work hard, he’s going to find a spot on the field this year.”
87th is where SB Nation advanced stats ranked Arizona's offensive pace last year. Not what you expect from a Coach Rod team.