LOOK: De'jon Benton appears at USC practice in hand cast, status uncertain

Following the 66-14 drubbing of Rice on Saturday, the USC Trojans returned to the practice field to start preparations for Game 2 versus Stanford. Practice video and reports from reporters revealed that defensive tackle De’jon Benton wasn’t in pads on Tuesday and he is now sporting a cast on his left hand:

De'jon Benton is in an arm cast. Not good for #USC's already thin defensive line. pic.twitter.com/fIVima5Pyw

— Ryan Young (@RyanYoungRivals) September 6, 2022

Benton, a 6-foot-2, 270-pound tackle, is coming off of his best game in three seasons at USC. Versus Rice, he posted five tackles, which is the most he’s had in a season, not just a single game. In 2021, he recorded stats in two games, two tackles versus Washington State and one against Colorado. In 2019, he had three tackles total and appeared in the team’s bowl game versus Iowa.

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USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley hasn’t shared an update on Benton’s timetable for return as of Tuesday morning.

Benton banged up following win over Rice

Benton, a member of the Class of 2019, was the No. 112 defensive lineman in the nation, per the On3 Consensus. Additionally, the hulking lineman was the No. 108 overall prospect out of California, while being ranked No. 1101 nationwide.

USC defensive coordinator Alex Grinch praised Benton for his progress and effort during fall camp.

“Benton’s had a really good camp,” began Grinch. “He showed some flashes in the spring. What does that mean? Does that mean — if you evaluate everybody’s best plays, most of the these kids can make a highlight film of practice and kind of get mesmerized by it. It may not be accurate. So coming back in the fall, I just thought they’re very more intentional about everything that he does. .. He’s got some quickness about him. Some physicality about him. So when he does it, he shows well.

“What happens with guys like that is typically when they don’t, it stands out real clearly too. If you have the quickness and you don’t use the quickness, we call that loafing. .. But I’ve been impressed with him. He’s got to really take advantage of the next couple of weeks.”