NFL D-line draft prospect Keeanu Benton and his Wisconsin high school wrestling coach are bonded for life

A bond for life was instilled between University of Wisconsin draft hopeful Keeanu Benton and Janesville Craig High School wrestling coach and physical education teacher Mark Mullen, long before the two knew each other.

Before Benton became a Wisconsin Badger, before he became a two-sport standout high school athlete, Mullen not only became one of his biggest advocates in his sports career, but also saved the life of someone in his family.

“Not a lot of people know this, but he saved my sister’s life,” Benton told reporters during his podium session at the NFL combine. “She had stopped breathing, her heart failed in gym class, and he shocked her back to life.”

It was a moment, Mullen says, where he had to make a split-second decision, with Benton’s sister, TiVeanna, unresponsive in the middle of the gym class floor.

“We had been doing the chest compressions on her, her heart stopped and she has no heart rate right now, we got to do something,” Mullen recalls. “I said you know what, you guys, I don’t care if I get fired. There’s other jobs that fire teachers, it’s not like I’m a millionaire. So I shocked her, gave her that jolt a little bit and got her heart rate back.”

The decision saved TiVeanna’s life, who now wears a pacemaker. Benton was just in sixth grade when this happened, but it kickstarted a bond both men cherish dearly.

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Mullen remembers first meeting Benton as a big, athletic freshman, with a big personality, but very new to the sport of wrestling.

With a senior heavyweight ahead of him, Benton wasn’t competing much as a freshman, but an injury during a Christmas tournament opened up an opportunity for him to wrestle early in his high school career.

“He ended up that year, [wrestling against] one of our big rivals and they had a senior heavyweight who had a bit of a wrestling experience here,” Mullen said. “But Keeanu beat him in the dual meet for us to win the dual meet, as a freshman beating a senior who had been around wrestling for a while.”

That momentum as a freshman led to Benton making the state tournament his next three years in high school, which was held on the University of Wisconsin’s campus in Madison, a place the Janesville, Wis. native would later call home in college.

Mullen, a Wisconsin alum, cherished the opportunity to spend a few days a year showing Benton and his other wrestlers around campus. The Janesville Craig High wrestling coach and physical education teacher even told Benton during those campus visits that “Hey man, someday you’re going to end up playing here.”

Despite the success Benton had as a wrestler at Janesville Craig, the two-sport star was largely under-recruited as a football player. That all changed with one phone call from Mullen to Wisconsin’s current athletic director, Chris McIntosh, who was the deputy athletic director when Benton was going through the recruiting process.

While Mullen didn’t know McIntosh personally, their common contact was former Badger football standout Donnel Thompson, who went on to play four seasons in the NFL (one season with Steelers, three with Colts). Thompson was McIntosh’s teammate at Wisconsin, while Mullen coached Thompson as a freshman in high school when he was on the wrestling team.

“I said to Chris, ‘He’s a better athlete than Donnel Thompson,’” Mullen recalls of the conversation. “I told him Donny was definitely a top-three all-time kid and I’ve been teaching for almost 30 years that I’ve ever coached for athleticism, strength and obviously he was because he made the NFL.

“And I said, Keeanu’s got a bigger upside than him ... you won’t believe how athletic he is and his potential is off the charts.”

Not long after that conversation, Wisconsin brought Benton on campus for a visit during its 2018 spring game, which Mullen helped facilitate. Later that night, Benton called Mullen to tell him he received a scholarship offer from Paul Chryst and the Wisconsin staff.

Benton took some time during his podium session at the combine to express his appreciation for Mullen.

“He’s an awesome dude, he kind of knows me, he talks to my parents, talks to my family and then he reached out to McIntosh without me even asking, then I got the visit and got the offer on the visit,” Benton said. “That was a dream come true and I couldn’t thank him enough.”

With a month before draft night in Kansas City, Benton has become one of the top defensive linemen in the 2023 draft class, displaying unique quickness and strength to disrupt opposing offensive lines.

Most projections have the third-team All-Big Ten honoree, who finished with career highs in tackles (36), tackles for loss (10) and sacks (4.5) in 2022, going on Day 2 of the draft. His ability to not only be a run stopper, but upside as a pass rusher, could make him an intriguing option for the Eagles, who currently own pick No. 62 in the second round and No. 94 in the third round, the range where Benton is expected to go.

With Javon Hargrave having departed to the 49ers in free agency and Fletcher Cox returning on a one-year deal, Benton can be a long-term answer in the interior alongside Jordan Davis, and told reporters at the combine that he can play “three to three” while adding he feels comfortable fitting in a 3-4 or 4-3 defense.

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Carrying the pride of Janesville with him, Benton is closing on fulfilling his NFL dream, while earning his degree, which he is 15 hours from achieving. Mullen has remained in contact over the years, supporting him at Wisconsin games, while Benton made time to visit with his former coach.

The bond, and respect between the two, has remained over the years.

“It’s a good feeling for me knowing that he got where he did, and I knew that he would because of his talent level and his work ethic,” Mullen said. “I am so happy for him and couldn’t be more proud of him and the success that he has had.”

Said Benton: “He never asked me for anything, he was always proud of me for what I’ve accomplished.”