Trey Benson may be a newcomer to Florida State, but the transfer running back is already feeling confident in his return to the football field.

Benson joined the Seminoles program after two challenging seasons at Oregon, where he struggled to return to form after a significant knee injury in December 2020. He redshirted his first year after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament, medial collateral ligament, lateral meniscus, and medial meniscus.

He appeared in 10 games for the Ducks last season, finishing with 22 yards and a touchdown on six carries before entering the transfer portal in January and signing with FSU a week later.

Through the first three weeks of spring camp, he’s felt like his old self.

“Each and every day, it gets better for me,” Benson said after Tuesday’s practice. “My confidence has been through the roof since I’ve been here.”

The work to get back on the field has paid off for the 6-foot tailback, who scored a touchdown during the team’s second scrimmage last Saturday.

“Last scrimmage is when I felt like myself again,” added Benson. “Making cuts with my right leg with no problem, and I couldn’t do that five months ago. I feel more explosive than I was before I got hurt.”

Benson joins a running backs group with diverse skills led by Treshaun Ward, Lawrance Toafili, D.J. Williams, CJ Campbell and Rodney Hill. With the departure of Jashaun Corbin, who declared early for the NFL Draft, the Seminoles are eager to identify some early contributors.

“I bring speed and power,” said Benson. “Tre is shifty — him and LT — and they hold me accountable. CJ and DJ are like bowling balls, but they’re both really good. Rodney will be really good, and he’s just scratching the surface.”

Wright back on campus

A welcome sight around the football program the past couple of weeks has been Winston Wright Jr. The redshirt junior receiver is back on campus after being involved in a severe car accident back in his hometown of Savannah, Ga., during spring break.

Wright will miss an extended period this spring as he recovers from a severe injury sustained during the accident, which took place on March 19.

“He’s been in meetings and doing a good job in his rehabilitation,” said Norvell. “We’re excited about having him here. He’s here [in meetings] making sure he gets those mental reps.

“I know I stressed how grateful I was and the day he got back into Tallahassee, it was a real joy. He had one day to settle, and then suddenly, he was back in meetings and learning. He’s excited about his return as well.”

After three seasons with the Mountaineers, Wright joined the program as a transfer from West Virginia in January. He was one of four transfer receivers to sign with the Seminoles in the offseason.

Norvell didn’t reveal a timetable for Wright’s return, only stating back in March that the Georgia native would have to go through the rehabilitation process.

Format for spring game

Florida State’s Garnet and Gold spring game Saturday will feature a similar format as last year, with the Seminoles featuring an offense versus defense format.

“We’re not going to break into two separate teams,” said Norvell. “We’re going to get good-on-good work and it will be very similar to last year. We’re going to be game situations in how we operate and how we flow and we’ll have some fun things we’ll do throughout.”

The game kicks off at 5 p.m. at Doak Campbell Stadium and will air on ACC Network.

This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Matt Murschel at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter at @osmattmurschel.

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