Kahlil Benson

Kahlil Benson (born August 30, 2002) is an American professional football offensive tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Indiana Hoosiers and Colorado Buffaloes.

Early life Benson was born August 30, 2002, in Memphis, Tennessee. He attended Southaven High School in Southaven, Mississippi, where he competed in football and track and field. He initially committed to play college football for the Ole Miss Rebels, but following a head coaching change at Ole Miss, he instead opted to play for the Indiana Hoosiers; though considered an offensive guard prospect by 247Sports, Indiana recruited him to play offensive tackle.

College career Benson joined the Indiana Hoosiers football team in 2020. He missed the 2020 season after sustaining a torn anterior cruciate ligament during a preseason practice, taking a redshirt for the season. He did not play in any games in 2021. In 2022, Benson played in all 12 games, at first on special teams, but ultimately starting in five games at right guard. He started in all 12 games of 2023, now playing right tackle

After head coach Tom Allen was fired following the 2023 season, Benson transferred to play for the Colorado Buffaloes, stepping into a leadership role on an offensive line unit that allowed 56 sacks the previous season. Benson played right tackle, right guard, and left guard in his season at Colorado, playing in nine games with four starts while missing four games, including the 2024 Alamo Bowl, due to injuries. He transferred back to the Indiana Hoosiers for the 2025 season.

Initially projected to play right guard in his second stint at Indiana, and despite missing spring training camp due to an undisclosed injury sustained at Colorado, head coach Curt Cignetti announced Benson would start at right tackle in 2025. Benson did not appear in the first half of the game against the Indiana State Sycamores for disciplinary reasons that Cignetti called a "iolation of team rules and regulations". Indiana finished the season with a win in the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship.

Professional career

On May 4, 2026, Benson signed with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Personal life Benson's cousin, Kevin Elliott, played football professionally for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL).

Benson earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from the University of Colorado Boulder.