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Benton Smith was born in Kansas City, Mo., and bounced around in the years that followed, living in Pennsylvania, Iowa and North Carolina, before moving to Lawrence in 2006.
Along the way, he lived in Sanford, N.C., for a huge chunk of his life and graduated in 2002 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill — an institution, he assures diehard Kansas fans, which he attended primarily for its in-state tuition and journalism program.
Shortly after moving to Lawrence, Smith began working part-time at the Journal-World, initially covering youth sports. Next, he covered Free State High athletics and area sports for the J-W, before taking on the position of sports editor for one of The World Company's weekly newspapers, The Mirror, in Tonganoxie. He worked there from 2008 to 2011, until returning to the Journal-World to lead its high school sports coverage.
In 2013, Smith took on a new role with KUsports.com, as a digital editor, blogger and writer and that role changed again in 2016, when Smith was promoted to KU football beat writer shortly after the World Company sold the Lawrence Journal-World and KUsports.com to Ogden Newspapers.
Since the sale, Smith has become an even more important member of the KUsports.com team, expanding his coverage to include writing columns at men's basketball games and continuing to oversee our coverage of KU football, which included the hiring of Les Miles as KU's new head football coach in late 2018.
Recent Stories
Benton Smith: Jayhawks capable of winning ugly with strong defensive play
Austin, Texas — Ugly is in the eye of the beholder. As far as Kansas basketball coach Bill Self was concerned, what he gazed upon Saturday at Frank Erwin Center was magnificent in all its grime.
New KU safeties coach Jordan Peterson signed 6-year contract
First 2 years guaranteed
Formerly the defensive coordinator and safeties coach at New Mexico, Peterson signed a deal with KU that’s guaranteed for both the 2020 and 2021 seasons, and could potentially last four additional years, through the 2025 season. By Benton Smith
Benton Smith: Despite win at OU, Jayhawks desperately need Devon Dotson back to reach full potential
Norman, Okla. — Deep as it is at full strength, take away one of this Kansas basketball team’s most important players and it starts to look a lot more beatable.
KU signed Emmett Jones to potential 6-year deal that includes pricey buyout
When the University of Kansas promoted the football team’s receivers coach, Emmett Jones, to passing game coordinator and extended his contract, the administration also made sure to make it a little less appealing for other teams to hire him away. By Benton Smith
KU great Gale Sayers named 10th-best college football player of all-time
The Kansas football team hasn’t participated in the postseason since 2008, but the Jayhawks got to share a small fraction of the spotlight during Monday’s national championship game, when the most renowned player in the program’s history picked up another honor.
Jordan Peterson named KU football's new safeties coach
A Texas native and former Big 12 defensive back at Texas A & M, Jordan Peterson is returning to the conference, this time at the University of Kansas, as the newest assistant on Les Miles’ coaching staff.
KU promotes WRs coach Emmett Jones to passing game coordinator
Assistant also picks up contract extension
After one season as the receivers coach on Les Miles’ Kansas football staff, Emmett Jones impressed his boss and the Kansas Athletics administration enough to gain a new job title and a contract extension. By Benton Smith
Stanley, Moragne and Cole to represent KU at Tropical Bowl
The long and difficult path to a professional football career is taking three former Kansas football players to Florida this weekend, for the SPIRAL Tropical Bowl.
Oklahoma prep O-lineman commits to KU football
An unheralded high school offensive lineman from Oklahoma, Jackson Satterwhite announced Wednesday his intentions of joining the Kansas football program.
Former KU O-lineman Hakeem Adeniji invited to NFL's scouting combine
Hakeem Adeniji hadn’t even completed his first year at the University of Kansas when the offensive lineman began to think he had arrived as a college football player. His hunch proved correct, as further confirmed this week, when the four-year starter for the Jayhawks learned the NFL selected him as a participant at its 2020 scouting combine. By Benton Smith
