WOODSTOCK – Christian Bentancur had dreamed of this day since he was a youngster, the one where he sat behind a table, with college caps in front of him, and announced his college commitment to play football.
The Marian Central junior, a four-star tight end recruit accrued 38 NCAA Division I scholarship offers, sat on the stage at the high school’s auditorium with caps from his three final schools (Clemson, Ohio State and Oregon) on the table.
Bentancur (6-foot-5, 235 pounds) thanked his parents, coaches, teammates and everyone who helped him reach this moment.
Then, he made his announcement.
Initially, Bentancur reached for the Oregon cap before saying, “The next few years, I will be spending at Clemson University.” At that point, Bentancur, his father Patrick, mother Elizabeth and sister Angelica, all on stage with him, took off their jackets to reveal Clemson Tigers shirts.
About 225 people, many who were students or players in Marian’s program, cheered. Hurricanes coach Liam Kirwan said before bringing Bentancur onto the stage that he was the 15th Marian player to make it to D-I football since 2006.
Bentancur had his pick of many of the nation’s top programs. Ohio State narrowly lost to national champion Georgia in the College Football Playoff semifinals. Clemson was No. 10 in The Associated Press’ final poll; Oregon was 15th.
Bentancur is the highest-recruited player in Marian’s rich football history. In his three high school seasons, he has 139 receptions for 2,705 yards and 30 touchdowns.
Bentancur caught 54 passes for 1,058 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. His yards and touchdowns were the best in the area and he was a Northwest Herald All-Area first-team selection for the second straight season.
Source: The Daily Chronicle
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