By Christopher McLaughlin
While transfer senior running back Everette Benjamin has settled in nicely at CCSU, he still remembers the tragedy he left behind at Hofstra.
“It felt like the end of the world” said Everette Benjamin “I got a text while I was lifting that said come to this meeting. It said if you had class to skip it so I knew it had to be important. When I got there it was a wild scene, people were crying in the hallways I had no idea what was going on.”
The meeting was called because the Hofstra Board of Trustees had decided to shut down the football program. For the first time in his collegiate career Benjamin didn’t belong to a team.
“It made me feel like I was back in high school. I knew I still wanted to play football so I had to put together a highlight tape and do the whole recruiting process all over again.”
Benjamin had lined up his potential destinations but wasn’t too thrilled with any of them. “I had it narrowed down to UT Martin and Albany. UT Martin was too far and Albany wasn’t bad but I didn’t love it.”
CCSU wasn’t even an option until he was visiting University of Tennessee at Martin and got the call. “I was down in Tennessee when CCSU gave me a call; I wasn’t really excited about going to UT Martin so I was glad to have another option.”
With CCSU now in play, Benjamin looked at the school’s history to make his decision. “It pretty much came down to Albany and CCSU, and last year CCSU beat Albany so I felt I had a better chance of winning at CCSU.”
While the performance of the two teams played a large role in his decision, Benjamin had another reason for choosing CCSU. “I fell in love with Central, I went up with some of my teammates from Hofstra and it just grabbed me. Not only was it closer to home [Massapequa, NY.], it was more of the type of environment that I was used to before so I felt it would be an easy transition.”
When switching schools there can be a difficult adjustment period, but Benjamin has handled it as smoothly as possible. “The plays we run are very similar to what we did at Hofstra. Both schools run the spread type offense so it wasn’t difficult to pick everything up. I had help from guys on the team too.”
Benjamin has thrived in his role as running back for CCSU, but that, like his school, is new to him as well. “At Hofstra I was a fullback getting maybe five carries a game; here I get close to 30. It’s an increased workload but I love it.”
Benjamin showed just how much he loves his new role when he rushed for a career high 188 yards and scored three touchdowns against Bryant on September 25. He was awarded the NEC Offensive Player of the Week award for his phenomenal performance playing in his first-ever Northeast Conference contest.
“When I came here, my goal was to win the NEC title and make the playoffs; I haven’t done either of those before so I really hope to accomplish both during my senior year.”
Benjamin has had a huge impact in both of CCSU’s NEC victories this season, rushing for over 100 yards in each game, and looks to continue to make noise as the season continues. “I will always remember my time at Hofstra, but I am focused on this season here at CCSU. I know we have the talent to win here and that’s what it’s all about winning the NEC title.”