Another Clemson football target scooped up by SEC school

· Yahoo Sports

Four-star running back Andrew Beard committed to Florida, choosing the Gators over Clemson, Georgia, and Tennessee. Beard, a 5-foot-10, 197-pound back out of Prince Avenue Christian School in Bogart, Georgia, gives Florida another win in a recruitment that involved Clemson.

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This is not the first time recently that the Gators have grabbed a player the Tigers wanted. Florida has already beat Clemson for offensive line targets Elijah Hutcheson and Peyton Miller, and now Beard joins the list.

Beard is ranked as a four-star prospect by 247Sports, sitting as the No. 154 overall player in the 2027 class, the No. 9 running back, and the No. 15 player in Georgia in the 247Sports Composite. On 247Sports’ own rankings, he is listed as the No. 165 overall player, the No. 8 running back, and the No. 14 player in the state.

The scouting report explains why programs were all over him. Andrew Ivins of 247Sports described Beard as a creative running back with three-down upside who constantly finds yardage. He plays with a low pad level, good balance, and patience behind his blocks, then has enough burst to break into the second level. He may not be the fastest back in the class, but his game is built around vision, toughness, contact balance, and making defenders wrong in tight spaces.

As a junior in 2025, Beard ran for 1,260 yards and 12 touchdowns on 155 carries while also catching 29 passes for 435 yards and five more scores. That receiving production matters. Beard is not just an early-down runner who needs the offense shaped around him. He can help in the passing game, which is the kind of versatility Clemson has valued at running back.

Beard rushed for 1,937 yards and 21 touchdowns in 2024 while averaging 8.7 yards per carry his sophomore year. He also caught 32 passes for 525 yards and five touchdowns. That is a pretty ridiculous two-year stretch, and it is why Florida landing him is not some small recruiting note that Clemson fans can just shrug off.

Football also runs through family blood. Beard’s father, Jerry Beard Sr., played running back at Appalachian State, while his uncle, Garrison Hearst, was a former Georgia star, Doak Walker Award winner, SEC Player of the Year, first-round NFL Draft pick, and two-time Pro Bowler.

For Clemson, the bigger concern is not just missing on Beard. It is watching Florida keep finding ways to win these battles. The Tigers are still in a strong position for other running back targets, Gary Walker to be specific, but this is still a recruiting loss at a position where Clemson had a real shot.

Beard is heading to Gainesville. Clemson has to turn the page quickly because Florida is clearly not done making life annoying for the Tigers in this cycle.

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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Clemson football loses rrunning back ecruit to SEC Florida Gators

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