Bailey Benson announced this past weekend where he would spend the next stage of his career.
The 6-foot-2 and 215 pound linebacker from Covington chose Wake Forest over 11 other offers that included Appalachian State, Cincinnati, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Kansas, Liberty, Marshall, Memphis, Western Kentucky, and West Michigan.
“The coaching staff is consistent and the coaches are great people. I feel like I will reach my full potential there. The campus is amazing and it seems like I will get a lot of work done,” said Benson.
Although Wake Forest had a tough season in 2023, the program has achieved more than eight wins in two of the past seasons, including double-digit wins in 2021. The Demon Deacons reached the ACC Championship game against Pittsburgh.
“I’m very excited to see the program move in the right direction. I think they got the players to win and compete. As you can see we got a lot of more great players coming in including myself,” said Benson.
Proud to announce my commitment to Wake Forest University ! @CoachClawson @Glenn_Spencer pic.twitter.com/l0IIy1EV1Z
— Bailey “Siete” Benson (@bensonboy06) April 13, 2024
Wake Forest also has landed two more in-state players in DL Nicco Maggio (Buford) and EDGE Cole Funderburk (North Gwinnett) both staple programs from Georgia. So far, Wake Forest has recruited defense well in the state of Georgia as Benson marks the third defender in the 2025 class.
Bailey Benson is coming off a great junior season that saw him make the Region 8-5A all-region team. He finished 2023 with 66 tackles (third on the team), four tackles for loss, two sacks, an interception, and a forced fumble. His best game of the season came in last year’s season opener against Luella. In the 34-0 win, Benson had eight tackles, three tackles for a loss, and a sack.
Eastside is coming off its best season since 2021 with an 8-4 record and has had a winning record ever since 2014. The Eagles and Benson have their eyes set on bigger goals this season. Eastside returns a talented defense that has three all-region players returning in 2024, including four-star Christian Gass, Benson, and Jacorey Jackson. Offensively, the Eagles return Jayden Barr who was named two-way player of the year. They also return two of their starting offensive linemen Carlton Belgrave and Tagen Brown who were all-region players and dynamic wide receiver Marion Eubanks.
“The main goal I want to complete this year is to win state with my brothers. In my opinion, this class might be the best class to come through Eastside, not just off talent but also off experience. If we can execute and better ourselves as players, I think Lil’ ole Eastside will be very dangerous,” said Benson.
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