MADISON, Wis. — Despite the Badgers' struggles in 2022, Keeanu Benton has no regrets.
"I wouldn't change it for a thing in the world," Benton says. "I think my college career was amazing. The connections I made with my coaches. With my teammates, with my peers. My teachers. All those things, those really go a long way."
Growing up in Janesville, the defensive lineman only received two offers and picked Wisconsin over Iowa.
"The sky was the limit after that," Benton says. "Everybody kind of fell in love with my personality. I started making great connections with everybody. I left there knowing that I was a better man coming out than I was going in."
Now Benton is prepping for the NFL Draft.
"It's amazing," Benton says. "I made it a goal of mine to get here as of last year because last year I was thinking about declaring for the NFL after my third year and I wasn't going to be able to go. But coming back? I set out a list of goals and the Senior Bowl being one of them. I'm glad that I got it accomplished. They also invited me to the NFL Combine, which I'm so grateful for because now I get to showcase my skills in front of everybody."
And as he bids Madison farewell, he says the Badgers will bounce back under new head coach Luke Fickell.
"I feel like he's a great coach," Benton says. "He has the right motive to get those guys going. I'm always going to be a Badger fan, no matter what. So I know that ship is going to keep rollin'."
Benton says he feels like all of his hard work is paying off. One thing he wants to show NFL teams is how his pass rush skills have developed.
