Markail Benton Commits to Alabama: 4-Star LB Adds to Impressive Class

Late Thursday evening, Markail Benton was asked about his college future. He went to bed genuinely uncertain.

Friday morning, the Phenix City, Alabama, 4-star linebacker woke up with his mind a little clearer and his psyche much more relaxed.

After weighing options—and reweighing options on multiple occasions—Benton announced his verbal commitment to Alabama early Friday afternoon in front of family, friends, teammates, mentors and colleagues at Central High School.

The commitment was another big one for the Crimson Tide, as Benton chose Alabama over offers from Auburn and Florida State. He is the 12th pledge in Alabama's 2017 class—which is ranked No. 2 nationally.

Benton, a standout at Central High School in Phenix City, called it one of the toughest decisions of his life, as all three schools on his list scored high marks on everything he was looking for in a program. When it was time to make a decision, he said he was solid with his choice.

"I'd be in the bed at night thinking, 'Oh yeah, I'm going to this school.' And then I'd wake up and say, 'I'm going here instead,'" Benton said. "It was a hard decision, but at the end of the day, I thought I made the best decision for me."

Alabama will get a versatile linebacker at 6'2" and 237 pounds. Benton is capable of plugging holes and making beelines to running backs on running plays and covering receivers and tight ends on passing downs.

Credit: Student Sports

Benton will join a class that already includes 4-star linebackers in VanDarius Cowan and Gary Johnson. The class also has 5-star offensive prospects in offensive tackle Alex Leatherwood and running back Najee Harris, the nation's top-ranked player.

Benton had 19 offers collectively, including LSU, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Clemson and Ole Miss. He narrowed his choices to a top three of Alabama, Auburn and Florida State on June 2.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Central head coach Jamey DuBose knew about as much as the general public regarding Benton's decision.

"With a lot of my guys, I know what they are going to say, but that's not the case with Markail," DuBose told the Ledger-Enquirer's Michael Niziolek. "He's kept it to himself."

When it was time on Friday, however, Benton was collected in his approach.

Prior to his decision, Benton spoke highly about the prestige of the Alabama coaching staff, which includes head coach Nick Saban, defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt and secondary coach Derrick Ansley, who led the charge in recruiting Benton.

"I know with them, I'll get really good coaching," Benton said. "It's just a good program with coaches who know how to win."

Benton continued: "Since I decided to commit, my phone's been blowing up [like] crazy. My Twitter, my Instagram, everything's been blowing up. Lately, I've had to turn my phone off just to think about where I wanted to go. Coaches have been trying to talk to me all week, but I haven't been dealing with it much. They all have been talking to my head coach."

With the decision now made, Benton delivered a message to the Alabama faithful: Expect a playmaker.

"They're getting a dog. You can't get any better than that," Benton said. "I'll be a good inside linebacker on first and second down and someone who likes to pass-rush on third down. I'll continue to work hard. There are lots of people you're competing against, so you've got to continue to get after it for the next level."

Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand. All player ratings are courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings. Follow Damon via Twitter: @DamonSayles