2022 JSU Football Roster
Roster
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Jersey Number 8
Markail Benton
- Position:
- Linebacker
- Height:
- 6-2
- Weight:
- 230
- Class:
- Redshirt Senior
- Hometown:
- Phenix City, Ala.
- High School:
- Central HS
JSU CAREER:
Fall 2021: Once again played in all 11 games for JSU leading the defense with 69 tackles…he registered 33 solo tackles and 36 assisted…also led the team with 6.5 tackles for loss for minus 28 yards to go along with 2.5 sacks for 17 yards lost and an interception returned for a touchdown…picked off the third play of the game against Abiliene Christian on Nov. 6 and returned 52 yards for the first score of the day…recorded at least seven tackles in five games, including a season-high nine in the finale at Eastern Kentucky to come one away from his career mark.
Fall 2020/Spring 2021: Appeared in all 13 games of the 2020-21 season, starting the last six contests in the spring... named to the All-OVC Second Team honors following his first season with the Gamecocks... was third on the team in tackles with 69...recorded at least five tackles in over half of the games he played in with his best career day coming on April 24 in the first round of the FCS Playoffs against Davidson where he had five solo tackles and five assisted... picked up 2.5 tackles for 10 yards lost on the year, including two sacks for nine yards lost…a forced fumble against UT-Martin and a fumble recovery against Mercer in the only home game of the fall... recorded his first career interception in the first spring game against Tennessee Tech on February 28 ... finished with five quarterback hurries and a pass breakup against Austin Peay.
PRIOR TO JSU: Spent three seasons at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala., where he was redshirted in 2017 before competing for the Crimson Tide in 2018 and 2019…led the Crimson Tide to the 2018 SEC Championship, rotating in at middle linebacker and on special teams…in 2019, played in nine games, totaling 19 tackles, including one for a loss…had a career-high eight stops against LSU as a sophomore.
HIGH SCHOOL: Prepped for head coach Jamey DuBose at Central High School in Phenix City, Ala…a unanimous four-star recruit out of CHS, also ranked as a top-12 linebacker candidate by all major recruiting outlets…rated the No. 50 player in the ESPN300, the site's No. 3 outside linebacker nationally and No. 2 player in Alabama...Scout.com rated him as the No. 6 inside linebacker nationally and No. 124 in the Scout300...247Sports ranked him as the No. 7 outside linebacker nationally, the No. 6 player in Alabama and No. 157 in the Top247...the No. 12 outside linebacker nationally and No. 7 player in Alabama by Rivals while ranking 147th in the Rivals150...No. 98 nationally in the 247Composite, the No. 7 outside linebacker nationally and No. 3 player in Alabama...No. 82 on the PrepStar Top 150 Dream Team and the No. 5 outside linebacker...participated in the Under Armour All-America Game...played in the 2016 Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game...participated in Nike's "The Opening"...selected as an Alabama Class 7A first team All-State selection by the Alabama Sports Writers Association...helped the Red Devils advance to the state semifinal in both his junior and senior seasons...finished his career with 129 tackles, 70 solo stops, 10 tackles for loss and four sacks.
Fall 2021: Once again played in all 11 games for JSU leading the defense with 69 tackles…he registered 33 solo tackles and 36 assisted…also led the team with 6.5 tackles for loss for minus 28 yards to go along with 2.5 sacks for 17 yards lost and an interception returned for a touchdown…picked off the third play of the game against Abiliene Christian on Nov. 6 and returned 52 yards for the first score of the day…recorded at least seven tackles in five games, including a season-high nine in the finale at Eastern Kentucky to come one away from his career mark.
Fall 2020/Spring 2021: Appeared in all 13 games of the 2020-21 season, starting the last six contests in the spring... named to the All-OVC Second Team honors following his first season with the Gamecocks... was third on the team in tackles with 69...recorded at least five tackles in over half of the games he played in with his best career day coming on April 24 in the first round of the FCS Playoffs against Davidson where he had five solo tackles and five assisted... picked up 2.5 tackles for 10 yards lost on the year, including two sacks for nine yards lost…a forced fumble against UT-Martin and a fumble recovery against Mercer in the only home game of the fall... recorded his first career interception in the first spring game against Tennessee Tech on February 28 ... finished with five quarterback hurries and a pass breakup against Austin Peay.
PRIOR TO JSU: Spent three seasons at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala., where he was redshirted in 2017 before competing for the Crimson Tide in 2018 and 2019…led the Crimson Tide to the 2018 SEC Championship, rotating in at middle linebacker and on special teams…in 2019, played in nine games, totaling 19 tackles, including one for a loss…had a career-high eight stops against LSU as a sophomore.
HIGH SCHOOL: Prepped for head coach Jamey DuBose at Central High School in Phenix City, Ala…a unanimous four-star recruit out of CHS, also ranked as a top-12 linebacker candidate by all major recruiting outlets…rated the No. 50 player in the ESPN300, the site's No. 3 outside linebacker nationally and No. 2 player in Alabama...Scout.com rated him as the No. 6 inside linebacker nationally and No. 124 in the Scout300...247Sports ranked him as the No. 7 outside linebacker nationally, the No. 6 player in Alabama and No. 157 in the Top247...the No. 12 outside linebacker nationally and No. 7 player in Alabama by Rivals while ranking 147th in the Rivals150...No. 98 nationally in the 247Composite, the No. 7 outside linebacker nationally and No. 3 player in Alabama...No. 82 on the PrepStar Top 150 Dream Team and the No. 5 outside linebacker...participated in the Under Armour All-America Game...played in the 2016 Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game...participated in Nike's "The Opening"...selected as an Alabama Class 7A first team All-State selection by the Alabama Sports Writers Association...helped the Red Devils advance to the state semifinal in both his junior and senior seasons...finished his career with 129 tackles, 70 solo stops, 10 tackles for loss and four sacks.
Jax State Football Spring Game Press Conference - April 16th, 2026
Friday, April 17
Jax State Football CUSA Championship Postgame Press Conference - December 5th, 2025
Saturday, December 06
Jax State Football National Signing Day Press Conference - December 3rd, 2025
Wednesday, December 03
Jax State Football Postgame Press Conference - November 29th, 2025
Sunday, November 30
