‘It’s more business this time around’: Benson, Moore make their mark in return to Bloomington
- Josh Pos
- 2h ago
LOS ANGELES – Kahlil Benson and Louis Moore started their IU careers in a locker room that, more often than not, was a losing one. They were among the masses who begrudgingly sang the fight song after beating Akron in triple overtime.
The 3-9 season in 2023 ultimately led to Tom Allen’s firing and Curt Cignetti’s hiring. Both Benson and Moore had opportunities to remain in the program, but chose to enter the transfer portal. Benson went on to play for Deion Sanders at Colorado, while Moore went to Ole Miss.
After one of the greatest turnarounds in college football history last season in Bloomington, both found their way back to their former home. Now, they play instrumental roles on No. 1 Indiana’s path to the New Year’s Day Rose Bowl game against No. 9 Alabama.
“I thought they were good players when they were here,” Cignetti said in November. “They were productive players where they went. They saw the program change here and wanted to be a part of it.”
Trey Wedig’s graduation opened a spot at right tackle, with Benson reuniting with offensive line coach Bob Bostad, a familiar face from his first stint with the Hoosiers. In Benson’s mind, returning was the best fit not only on the field from a developmental standpoint, but off the field, too.
He wanted to become coachable and Indiana gave him the best chance.
“Coming back here just means a lot,” Benson said on Tuesday during Rose Bowl media availability. “I had the opportunity to come back and play with a lot of the guys that I played with before I left, and I just wanted to see some familiar faces and see these guys again.”
When Cignetti met with the 6-foot-6, 319-pound Benson upon his return, there were no hard feelings. Instead, laughter filled the brief meeting, signaling to Benson that he would be welcomed back with open arms and a clean slate. The only resemblance to his first stint in an Indiana uniform would be his uniform number, 67; the same one he wore in 14 career games.
With an entirely different mindset and motivation to become the best version of himself, Benson won the open starting right tackle position over fellow transfer Zen Michalski in fall camp. He started 10 of 13 games on an offensive line that protected Heisman quarterback Fernando Mendoza, allowing just 18 sacks.
“This is where I needed to be at,” he said.
Like his offensive teammate, Moore’s return to Bloomington from Oxford was welcomed with open arms. Even knowing Moore’s impending eligibility case, Cignetti decided to bring back the senior he couldn’t retain just a year earlier.
The move paid off – and then some.
He powered Ola Adams’ safeties room with his ballhawking skills. The Mesquite, Texas, native finished the regular season with six of Indiana’s 17 interceptions on the season, placing himself in a tie for second nationally among all FBS players.
The 13-0 season, capped off with a Big Ten championship, was not something Benson and Moore could have envisioned when they arrived in Bloomington to play for Allen. The reality of the first IU experience for Benson and Moore was a series of frustrating losses and dashed hopes by Halloween.
Both players felt the culture change the moment they stepped back on campus. The ‘LEO’ signs that once blanketed the football facilities are now replaced with ‘W.I.N.’, ‘Fast. Physical. Relentless.’ and the College Football Playoff logo.
Two years had passed since Moore last heard about ‘loving each other,’ yet he smiled slyly when asked in Pasadena.
The team still embraces the concept in the locker room, but it’s not forced upon the players. Moore believes that the organically built relationships in the Indiana locker room have helped far more than his first go-around.
“It’s more business this time around,” Moore said. “[camaraderie and love for one another] is an unspoken more so than anything.”
The duo noticed a difference in their walks around campus and the Bloomington area. They went from being ignored on the streets to being stopped for pictures by fans around town.
“The fans are everything, man,” Benson said. “We have something bigger to play for as well within ourselves.”
Once members of a program defined by losses, they now stand as pieces in place on a national championship contender. The wins are no longer few and far between, and the fight song, once an obligation, now feels earned.
See More: Football