Former Hutchinson Blue Dragon wide receivers Tre Richardson (Vanderbilt) and Malik Benson (Oregon) had a big impact Saturday for their respective teams.
Richardson plays for the No. 12-ranked Commodores and Benson plays for the No. 5 Ducks. Oregon defeated then-No. 16 Southern Cal 42-27 in Eugene, Ore., Saturday and Vanderbilt blasted Kentucky 45-17 Saturday in Nashville, Tenn.
Oregon jumped over idle Mississippi to No. 5 — its highest ranking since it was No. 3 in the Oct. 5 poll.
Richardson, who played high school football at Topeka Highland Park High School, one season at Hutchinson Community College and one season at Washburn University, had a huge day in for Vanderbilt (9-2) in the Southeastern Conference
Richardson, a 5-foot-10, 175-pound junior, caught 6 passes for 159 yards (3 touchdowns, including a 71-yard TD pass) against Kentucky. He also added a 99-yard kickoff return. He continues to be one of the most explosive all-purpose players in the SEC.
For the season, Richardson has 34 receptions for 604 yards (17.8 yards per catch) 5 receiving TDs and 443 kickoff return yards.
At Washburn in 2024, Richardson was a unanimous first-team all-Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association selection at wide receiver, also earning honorable mention all-league recognition as a return specialist his only season with the program.
He ranked second in the conference and among the top 10 nationally with 146.5 all-purpose yards per game. Richardson caught 52 passes for 983 yards and 11 touchdowns and averaged 24.1 yards per kick return.
As a freshman at HutchCC as a freshman in 2023, Richardson earned first-team NJCAA All-American honors as a return specialist. He averaged 27.1 yards per kick return and 16.2 yards per punt return, ranking second in the country in both categories.
Richardson posted 1,332 all-purpose yards and was selected first-team all-Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference on special teams. He earned two NJCAA National Player of the Week awards and Player of the Week honors from the KJCCC on three occasions
Benson, who had not returned punts since his HutchCC playing days in 2022, returned one 85 yards for a touchdown in Oregon’s win over Southern Cal. Benson is getting to play more because injuries have depleted the Ducks’ receiving corps down to four players.
Benson, a 6-foot-1, 195-pound senior from Lansing, Kan., also caught 4 passes for 67 yards against Southern Cal and played a career-high 69 snaps. He has caught 22 passes this season for 357 yards and three TDs.
In addition to playing at Oregon and HutchCC, Benson has played football at Alabama and Florida State.
At Hutchinson Community College in 2021-2022, Benson recorded 2,206 yards and 21 touchdowns in two seasons. He was ranked the consensus No. 1 junior college player in the class of 2023.
At Alabama in 2023, Benson played a limited role, finishing with 13 receptions for 162 yards and one touchdown.
Benson transferred to Florida State in 2024, where he caught 25 passes for 311 yards and one touchdown.
Waymond Jordan Jr. injury update: Waymond Jordan Jr., who helped lead the Hutchinson Blue Dragons to the NJCAA Division football title in 2024, did not play in the Oregon game. He suffered an ankle injury during an October game against Michigan, which required tightrope surgery.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated’s SI.com, Southern California coach Lincoln Riley said there is no timetable for Jordan’s return from an injury that takes 4-6 weeks of recovery.
“Yeah, he’s getting closer,” Riley told SI.com. “He’s fighting. But for a back it’s not a great injury. Some positions might be able to come back a little bit faster, but he’s giving it everything he can right now. Yeah, just it’s a position naturally that that cuts a lot.”
In his 2025 season at USC, Jordan has rushed for 576 yards and 5 TDs through five games.
During his 2024 season at HutchCC, Jordan rushed for 1,614 yards and 20 TDs, earning him the title of NJCAA DI Football Offensive Player of the Year.
