The 2021 football season will be a big year for Lil Darnell Benjamin.

The Westgate senior cornerback, who spent last season mostly playing special teams, will break into the starting lineup in the defensive secondary for the Tigers.

“I’ve mostly played special teams,” the WHS senior said. “So this year is going to be big for me. To that end, I’ve tried to stay focused on doing what I need to do to make my team better.”

And maybe turn a few college coaches heads in the process.

“Right now, I haven’t received any offers but I have put some film of what I can do together and will be sending it out during the season,” Benjamin said.

As for the fall, Benjamin is looking to really help Westgate push further in the playoffs.

“I’m making sure that we have a big push this year,” he said. “We made it to the game against Neville (Class 4A quarterfinals) but we failed to get past them and into the semifinals.

“We want to get the championship this year.”

So far, through spring and summer, Benjamin has kept that focus as he gets ready for his starting role for WHS.

But it’s not like he didn’t play cornerback at all last year.

“It was in the Northside game and I was at cornerback and the receiver was running a post pattern,” he said. “He came at me and I knocked him clean out.”

A solid highlight play from a solid defensive back.