By Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information Director

Following a breakout freshman season in which he led the conference in sacks, College of the Canyons defensive end Benjamin Seymour has signed with Montana State University, becoming the 11th member of the Cougars’ 2019 team to join a four-year program.

Montana State University is an NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) program located in Bozeman, Montana. The Bobcats compete in the Big Sky Conference.

Seymour, who previously starred at Valencia High School, started in all 12 games for the Cougars and made an immediate impact, racking up 12 sacks to go along with 44 total tackles (29 solo), a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

His sack total ranked second in the entire Southern California Football Association (SCFA) and was the leading mark in the National Division, Northern League. It also tied for the state’s No. 6 mark.

Seymour recorded three-sack games twice in 2019, with the first coming vs. Grossmont College on Sept. 14, 2019 — just his second game in a Cougars uniform — and the latter on November 16, in the regular season finale on the road at Bakersfield College. His quarterback takedowns accounted for a combined loss of 88 yards for COC opponents.

His 12 sacks was also the highest total for COC since former Cougars defensive end Dorian Gerald reached the same mark as a freshman during the 2016 season.

While his 44 total tackles ranked fifth on the team, Seymour also led COC and ranked 13th in the state with 19.5 tackles for loss. He played just one contest in which he didn’t have a tackle for loss.

At season’s end he was named an SCFA First-Team defense selection.

Canyons (9-3, 4-1) shared the 2019 National Division, Northern League championship with Ventura College (8-3, 4-1) and Long Beach City College (7-3, 4-1) before moving on and defeating Saddleback College in the first round of the Southern California Regional Playoffs. COC then lost to eventual state champions Riverside City College in the Southern California Championship game.

Seymour follows Jauqine Vukobradovich (North Carolina Central University), Armani Edden (University of Hawai’i at Mānoa), Alonzell Henderson (University of Hawai’i at Mānoa), offensive tackle Kilian Zierer (University of Auburn), center Jordan Palmer (Middle Tennessee State University), kicker Tanner Brown (University of Nevada Las Vegas), defensive tackle Jack Schultz (Abilene Christian University), linebacker Tyler Richardson (Wagner College), safety Tre Vallar (Wagner College) and offensive tackle Kideam Diouf (Arkansas State University) as members of the 2019 Cougars’ squad that have committed to four-year programs.