UPDATE: The earlier report about Benedict being in the hospital was off-base, per VT Football.
OFFICIAL UPDATE P1: Brent Benedict is at his parent’s home in Greenville, S.C. He is not in the hospital like reported and is doing fine.
— VT Football (@VT_Football) May 24, 2014
At least that's some good new!! Best wishes to Brent on his recovery
#Hokies OT Brent Benedict will miss the 2014 season (free) http://t.co/8gButDL15H #VT @EvanGWatkins247 @RyanBartow
— VTScoop247 (@VTScoop247) May 24, 2014
Per 247's excellent JC Shurburtt, the versatile redshirt-senior is in the hospital in Greenville, SC dealing with complications from a knee injury he suffered this past Spring and is experiencing clotting in his lungs and heart. His 2014 season is over and his career could be in jeopardy. This is just horrible, horrible news.
He had already been bypassed on the depth chart this spring, and had reportedly been dealing with some back problems that limited him last season. He also missed the Miami game with an ankle injury. I am not sure if the knee he injured this past spring is the same knee that he injured in high school that he rehabbed during his redshirt-freshman campaign at the University of Georgia.
After transferring from UGA, he has played in 24 games for the Hokies starting 12 of them. In the event he didn't win his starting job back, he was to provide valuable experience in the two deep, and could play both guard spots and at right tackle. WIth a good senior season and a clean physical bill of health, he was certainly a candidate to play in the NFL due to his size and versatility.
A graduate of the Bolles School of Jacksonville, FL which boasts such famous alumni as Chipper Jones (Atlanta Braves), Dee Brown (Reebok Pump NBA Dunk Contest Champ/Boston Celtics), David Treadwell (K, Clemson/NFL), and Dez White (GT/NFL), Benedict never was able to gain the traction necessary to fulfill the very high expectations the Hokies fans (probably unrealistically) set for him as a "coveted" SEC conference transfer. The injuries were just too insurmountable. But in spite of those injuries, Benedict kept pursuing a return to his former glory.
Just look at how highly touted he was coming out of high school. He would easily have been our most highly touted offensive line recruit since Aaron Brown had we managed to score his commitment right out of high school.
- Ranked the No. 89 player in the country, the No. 10 offensive tackle in the country, the No. 29 player in the south and the No. 13 player in the state of Florida by Scout.com
- Rated as the No. 76 player in the country, the No. 12 offensive tackle in the country and the No. 5 player in Florida by Rivals
- Ranked as the No. 19 in the ESPNU 150
(all rankings per Benedict's player page on HokieSports.com)
The news regarding the death of his older brother Heath in 2008 due to an enlarged heart makes this that much sadder to hear. Our best wishes go out to his parents, Ed and Holly Benedict for their son's speedy recovery.