Nose tackle, Wisconsin, 2019–22
Keeanu Benton
- Number
- No. 95
- Height
- 6′4″
- Weight
- 315 lb
- Class (2022)
- Senior
- Hometown
- Janesville, WI
- Born
- Jul 17, 2001
Keeanu Benton played nose tackle at Wisconsin (2019–22). The Pittsburgh Steelers took Benton in round 2, No. 49 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft.
At a glance
Career highs
2sacks, career hightwice; last vs. Illinois, 2022Honors
Defense
Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls.
On the roster
| Season | Team | No. | Pos | Class | Ht | Wt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Wisconsin | 95 | NT | Fr. | ||
| 2020 | Wisconsin | 95 | NT | So. | ||
| 2021 | Wisconsin | 95 | NT | Jr. | ||
| 2022 | Wisconsin | 95 | NT | Sr. | 6′4″ | 315 |
As each season’s roster listed the player (CollegeFootballData). Classes before the latest listing are counted back from it; “Yr 1” is the year on file where that count can’t place a season he played (a redshirt, transfer or 2020 year); height and weight as last listed.
Game by game
2022 Wisconsin 12 games, 36 tackles, 4.5 sacks
| Date | Opponent | Result | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 3 | vs. Illinois State | W 38–0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 10 | vs. Washington State | L 14–17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 17 | vs. New Mexico State | W 66–7 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 24 | at Ohio State | L 21–52 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 1 | vs. Illinois | L 10–34 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Oct 8 | at Northwestern | W 42–7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 15 | at Michigan State | L 28–34 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 22 | vs. Purdue | W 35–24 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Nov 5 | vs. Maryland | W 23–10 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Nov 12 | at Iowa | L 10–24 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Nov 19 | at Nebraska | W 15–14 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Nov 26 | vs. Minnesota | L 16–23 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0.5 | 0 |
2021 Wisconsin 11 games, 24 tackles, 2.5 sacks
| Date | Opponent | Result | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 11 | vs. Eastern Michigan | W 34–7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Sep 25 | vs. Notre Dame | L 13–41 | 3 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0 |
| Oct 2 | vs. Michigan | L 17–38 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 9 | atIllinois | W 24–0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 16 | vs. Army | W 20–14 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 23 | atPurdue | W 30–13 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 30 | vs.Iowa | W 27–7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 6 | at Rutgers | W 52–3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 20 | vs.Nebraska | W 35–28 | 3 | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 27 | atMinnesota | L 13–23 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Dec 30 ✦ | vs. Arizona State | W 20–13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2020 Wisconsin 7 games, 9 tackles
| Date | Opponent | Result | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 23 | vs.Illinois | W 45–7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 14 | atMichigan | W 49–11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 21 | atNorthwestern | L 7–17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec 5 | vs. Indiana | L 6–14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec 12 | atIowa | L 7–28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec 19 | vs.Minnesota | W 20–17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec 30 ✦ | vs. Wake Forest | W 42–28 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2019 Wisconsin 8 games, 12 tackles, 2 sacks
| Date | Opponent | Result | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 30 | at South Florida | W 49–0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 7 | vs. Central Michigan | W 61–0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 21 | vs.Michigan | W 35–14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 26 | atOhio State | L 7–38 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Nov 9 | vs.Iowa | W 24–22 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 16 | atNebraska | W 37–21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 30 | atMinnesota | W 38–17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec 7 | vs.Ohio State | L 21–34 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Box scores from CollegeFootballData, 2004 on. ✦ postseason; ★ a career high on file.
Before the draft
Played in the 2023 Senior Bowl (National team, won 27–10).
| Drill | Combine 2023 |
|---|---|
| Height | 6′3¾″ |
| Weight | 309 lb |
| Arm length | 33⅞″ |
| Hand size | 9¾″ |
| Wingspan | 81½″W |
| 40-yard dash | 5.08 s |
| 10-yard split | 1.79 sW |
| Vertical jump | 29½″ |
| Broad jump | 9′3″ |
| Bench press | 25 reps |
| 3-cone drill | 7.34 s |
| 20-yard shuttle | 4.65 s |
Unmarked: Combine and pro day results compiled by array-carpenter (nfl-draft-data); W: Pre-draft measurables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Rosters and honors: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
In the NFL
4 seasons, 56 games with a stat; latest team: Pittsburgh Steelers.
| Season | Team | G | Tkl | Sacks | Int |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 16 | 34 | 1 | 0 |
| 2024 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 17 | 35 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 17 | 51 | 5.5 | 0 |
| 2026 (so far) | Pittsburgh Steelers | 6 | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| NFL career | 56 | 135 | 7.5 | 1 | |
Regular seasons, from nflverse (CC BY 4.0). G counts games in which the player recorded a stat.
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