WR Benn announces he'll skip senior year at Illinois

Not long before Arrelious Benn shocked the college football recruiting world by selecting Illinois, the school might as well have been DeVry or National-Louis University.

"I didn't know what Illinois was," Benn said this summer with a smile.

"I was like, Illinois? They can't even recruit me. I was more the Florida State/Miami guy."

When the all-American receiver from Dunbar High School in Washington committed to Illinois in Nov. 2006, he told an ESPNU audience, "I plan to do big things in the Big Ten. It's going to be a sight to see."

With that sort of buildup, Benn had a lot of fans' dreams to fulfill.

After helping Illinois to its first Rose Bowl in 24 years and earning national acclaim for his terrific sophomore season in 2008, Benn announced Wednesday he's leaving Illinois to pursue a dream of his own.

With his mother and his girlfriend by his side, Benn renounced his final year of eligibility in order to throw his name into the NFL draft.

He projects as either a late first-round or early second-round pick, though the next four months of workouts will define the chiseled 6-foot-2 Benn's destination.

"Now I have a great opportunity to take care of my family," said Benn, noting his mother had to raise five sons on her own. "I know this is the right time to test myself at the next level."

Benn, who entered Illinois as one of the top 20 prospects of the national Class of 2007, left his mark all over the school's record book despite a disappointing, injury-plagued junior year.

Benn's 159 career receptions share fourth on Illinois' all-time list. His 2,221 receiving yards are sixth while his 3,613 all-purpose yards rank fourth.

"I had a lot of criticism about coming here," said Benn, who supposedly reversed an oral commitment to Notre Dame. "But I backed it up. We backed it up playing in the Rose Bowl. That was a great experience."

While Benn bid Illinois adieu Wednesday, head coach Ron Zook announced the hiring of Louisville tight ends coach Greg Nord and Florida Atlantic quarterbacks coach Jeff Brohm.

Nord, Brohm and new offensive coordinator Paul Petrino worked together at Louisville under head coach Bobby Petrino from 2004-06.

During that three-year stretch, the Cardinals produced a 32-5 record while averaging 43.5 points, 290.7 passing yards and 207.5 rushing yards per game.

Brohm also can sell his NFL experience (he threw 58 passes in 1996-97 as Steve Young's backup at San Francisco), while Nord served as Louisville's recruiting coordinator. That could pay dividends in areas where Illinois traditionally has attracted few players.