BearcatReport.com - Beard Chose UC over Big Ten School

June 9, 2009

Tim Adams
BearcatReport.com Senior Writer

Last week was a good one for UC assistant football coach Kerry Coombs and the Cincinnati football program when the Bearcats received two verbal commitments on successive days. Dominque Brown ended his recruitment on Thursday, and Cameron Beard quickly followed Brown's lead the very next day by verbally committing to UC.

Bearcat football fans are very familiar with Brown since he starred as Winton Woods quarterback last season, but Cincinnati fans are still wondering about this defensive end from Cathedral High School in Indiana who seemed to come out of nowhere.

When contacted Tuesday morning, Beard gave Bearcat Lair some additional background information. "I'm 6' 5" and 245 pounds. I was actually injured in a scrimmage last year before the season started. I tore my meniscus and missed the first three games of the year."

Cathedral High School is a perennial Class 4A power in Indiana (Class 5A is the largest division), and the Irish captured their fifth state title in 2008 posting a 12-2 record. Both of Cathedral's losses (Carmel and Cincinnati St Xavier) came while Beard was rehabbing the knee injury.

Moeller Crusader fans may remember Beard since the two Catholic school met at Nippert Stadium on October 10th of last season. The Irish beat Moeller 21-18, and Beard played a significant role in the victory when he blocked and then caught an Andrew Hendrix pass for a Crusader turnover.

Beard may be the newest Bearcat, but he already knows a few players on the Cincinnati squad. Alex Hoffman, Cincinnati's starting right tackle also hails from Cathedral and has played with Beard in high school, and on their march through the Indiana state playoffs last season, the Irish ousted Mitch Meador's Whiteland Community School. Meador also knows Beard. Although they are not necessarily friends, Beard is also familiar with one other Bearcat-Jordan Stepp. "Yeah. I knew he went to Ben Davis, but I didn't remember his name. He's a big guy."

Having played in the Herbstreit Classic at Nippert Stadium and again last season versus Moeller, Beard knew he liked Cincinnati, but it wasn't until taking the unofficial visit last Tuesday that he got the UC offer. Wisconsin had extended an offer on May 29, but the senior-to-be made the decision last Friday to verbally commit to the Bearcats.

Beard said the Bearcats are recruiting him to play defensive end and that he'll eventually need to add 20 to 30 pounds.

Despite having an older brother enrolled at Purdue, Beard said he's a solid verbal to Cincinnati even if one of the in-state schools eventually offers.

According to Beard, Cincinnati has extended five offers to defensive ends and plans to take three.

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