#1 Gabriel Benyard celebrates in the end zone after scoring touchdown against Arkansas State at Fifth Third Stadium at Walens Family Field on Sep. 20. Photo by: Jackson Louneounbonh
There are very few people left around Kennesaw State football from when Gabriel Benyard first arrived on campus.
Other than the most diehard of fans, it’s hard to find many who have experienced the same highs and lows of Owls football as Benyard.
The redshirt senior, who hails from the south-central Georgia town of Ocilla was a star at Irwin County High School, posting 1,867 total yards and 23 total touchdowns to help lead the Indians to a Class-A state title in 2020.
Despite his success at the high school level, Benyard was woefully underrecruited, fielding just three Division I offers.
Choosing to commit to KSU in 2021 alongside his brother Garland, Gabriel immediately became an impact player for the Owls, appearing in all 13 games, scoring three touchdowns and earning Big South Freshman of the Week honors in a season where KSU claimed its third Big South title.
The road since has been anything but predictable for the Owls’ most effective offensive weapon.
Benyard’s 2022 season featured a step backward in terms of production, ending the year with 436 yards of total offense, two touchdowns and formidable marks as a kick and punt returner.
During the 2022 season, it was announced KSU football would be making the move to Conference USA, becoming a member of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the highest classification of college football.
The team regressed, posting a 5-6 record, missing the FCS playoffs and finishing with a losing record for the first time in program history.
Faced with a transitional season in which it would redshirt many of its younger key contributors, Benyard was held to just four games in 2023, preserving an extra year of eligibility.
Despite the abbreviated season, Benyard had a career year, finishing with five touchdowns and 449 total offensive yards.
On top of all sorts of change, Benyard had to readjust to what would be his second offensive coordinator of the four he would have over the course of his college career.
“It was hard,” Benyard said. “We had coaches coming in and out; we had a lot of redshirt guys, we had just four games to play. I had to sit out most of the season, which was kind of good for me moving up to FBS.”
The Owls posted a 3-6 record, not earning a win over an NCAA Division I opponent — the worst season in the history of the program to that point.
What came next would be even worse.
Looking to pick up where he left off at the FCS level, an injury in the Owls’ second game against Louisiana sidelined Benyard for several weeks while his team slid into the darkest depths of major college football.
An 0-2 start for the Owls snowballed into 0-6. None of the games finished within one possession, as the program pieced together one of the most depressing FBS debut seasons in college football history.
A shocking upset over undefeated Liberty in Week 8 gave the Owls some momentum heading into Benyard’s return against Western Kentucky the following week.
Still, the redshirt junior was unable to get much going throughout the remainder of the season, finishing with just 206 total yards and never reaching the end zone in a 2-10 season for KSU.
Owls coach Brian Bohannon was controversially fired midseason following a two-overtime loss to UTEP, prompting both Benyard brothers to enter their names into the transfer portal at the conclusion of the 2024 campaign.
Despite receiving calls from other FBS and FCS programs, Benyard decided to stick things out with KSU during his final year of eligibility, citing new offensive coordinator Mitch Militello’s pitch to open the passing game more than the program had before.
“I came back because I had faith in this, in Kennesaw State University,” Benyard said. “I talked to coach [Jerry] Mack, he had a plan for me. I talked to coach Mitch about the offense and he said we’re going to pass the ball more. I came back and I just wanted to make history and I just wanted to leave a legacy.”
The decision appears to have paid off for Benyard, who sits just 42 yards away from Justin Sumpter’s single-season receiving yardage record of 610 yards set in 2017 and three touchdowns short of Sumpter’s eight in 2016.
“It means a lot to me, but I don’t really focus on that,” Benyard said. “If I break the record, I just break the record. I would be excited for that, but I’m going to go out there every day and just do my job and make plays.”
Not only have things worked out for Benyard, but for the KSU football program as a whole.
The Owls sit at 7-2, bowl eligible for the first time in program history, undefeated in CUSA and with an outside shot to qualify for the College Football Playoff.
Most importantly, however, is the next game on the schedule. The Owls are set to travel to rival Jacksonville State this Saturday for a game that in all likelihood will send the winner to the CUSA championship game.
“It’s special,” Benyard said. “I’ve been here probably the longest, with all the new transfers coming in. It’s a special moment for me just seeing us grow – from all the coaches to all the players coming in. We’ve got a big game ahead of us, and we got to focus on that.”
