LIU Secures Hometown OL Matthew Benjamin
Matthew Benjamin knew where he wanted to be. The 2026 OL/DL out of William Floyd High School in Mastic Beach, NY, had been making the trip to Long Island University for the past two years, making his interest known. So when the opportunity finally came, there wasn’t much to think about.
“I’ve been attending LIU camps for two years now,” Benjamin said. “They run a well-organized camp, and Coach Cooper and his coaching staff get everyone fired up, especially in the one-on-ones. I loved the camps so much I went to two of them in one year.”
That interest and the proximity made the Sharks a natural fit. Mastic Beach is just 70 miles east of Brooklyn, where the most recent camp was (LIU has multiple campuses), and Benjamin has been steadily building a connection with the program for years. He’s a Long Island resident who’s had a chance to swim with the Sharks on more than a few occasions.
“Every time I step foot on campus, it feels like home,” he said. “I felt like I was already part of the team during my spring practice visit. I’ve been keeping in contact with Coach Pace this offseason—he’s a great guy, and I can’t wait to learn from his experience.”
Coach Ian Pace has quietly become one of the top developers of offensive line talent in the Northeast. He’s good enough that I almost feel like I shouldn’t be typing his name out. I don’t want to stop covering the offensive lines he’s been putting out. LIU was not an easy place to play offensive line in 2024. When their offense hit its stride late in the season, it did so with quarterback Ethan Greenwood, who made a lot of his plays in a freelancing situation. Linemen had to hold their blocks and be able to adapt to a play changing behind them. The Sharks line could do it, and as the offense started piling up the points it was impossible for their work to be a secret. Last season alone, LIU had four offensive linemen transfer- each one to an FBS program. And while that kind of attrition could be seen as a setback, at LIU it’s understood as the byproduct of doing the job well. Build guys up, teach the right habits, get them game-ready. Sometimes, that preparation gets noticed elsewhere.
The Sharks also had an All-NEC redshirt freshman on the line last fall in Moshood Giwa. He didn’t need years to make an impact. He got on the field after sitting and developing for a year, proved he belonged, and ultimately landed at Rutgers in the Big 10. Again: it’s not the goal, but it’s evidence that the development pipeline at LIU is real. When you look at the offensive line roster for this year’s team, your eyes immediately head towards the redshirt freshmen. Is there going to be another Giwa this season, and who’s it going to be?
Now, Benjamin joins that proven system as the first commit in the Sharks’ 2026 recruiting class. He’s also just the second 2026 commitment in the NEC so far. A two-way player at William Floyd, Benjamin projects as a key piece in LIU’s next wave of linemen—tough, engaged, and apparently already comfortable in the culture. He’ll pass the eye test going on the field, currently at 6’5” and 279 lbs. The William Floyd Colonials use him at left tackle, and the camp film we’ve watched does show a player who’s tough to get past off the edge.
The road from Mastic Beach to LIU isn’t a long one, even in New York traffic. For Benjamin, it’s already felt like home for a while. Now, it’s official.
