It’s almost decision time for one of the top running backs in the country. Andrew Beard (5-9, 197) from Prince Avenue Christian School (Bogart, GA) is ready to make his collegiate choice, and that announcement is coming much sooner than many anticipated.
Beard plans to choose between Clemson, Georgia, Florida, or Tennessee this coming Friday, May 8th. Beard had OVs set with all four schools, but sometimes you just know when it’s time.
“I’m confident in my decision and ready to lock it down with my school,” Beard stated.
Clemson has been a significant contender since January, with CJ Spiller extending an offer to Beard despite the Tigers being excluded from an initial list of top schools that omitted a school of great importance to the Georgia prospect. Once the Tigers were back in the picture, the race was on.
Clemson hosted Beard for the Elite Retreat and has continued to push in his recruitment enough to be in consideration for the final stretch. Beard has been back to campus multiple times as the relationship with the staff has grown tremendously, particularly with Chad Morris, with whom Beard sees himself fitting into the offense quite well.
“Ever since the elite retreat, Clemson has been communicating with me heavily,” Beard said. “I’ve been back multiple times during the spring and love it every time.”
To peel back the onion on what impresses him about Clemson, it boils down to improving as a player during his time in the program.
“The development has stood out to me,” he explained. “With all the recent draft picks, you can tell Clemson is developing their players the right way, and I love that.”
Georgia, Tennessee, and Florida are also in the mix, with each program bringing something unique to the field, making the competition such a tight race down the stretch.
“Florida has the ability to bring them back to a national championship and play under Coach Sumrall,” Beard detailed. “Georgia is the location and the consistency they always have. Tennessee is Coach Sims and having an offensive-minded head coach in Coach (Josh) Heupel.”
One of the top tailbacks in the country will come off the board this Friday, and only time will tell if Clemson will land one of the more prized prospects in the country.
Many observers believe the decision will come down to Clemson and Florida.