Kirby Smart is going to make sure his first real recruiting class at Georgia is a memorable one.
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The Bulldogs added another big-time recruit to the class of 2017 early Tuesday, as five-star defensive end Robert Beal committed to Georgia. According to 247 Sports, Beal is the second-best defensive end in the country.
He recorded a video of himself working out in a warehouse. At the end of the video, Beal revealed he’d decided to attend UGA:
The addition of Beal bolsters an already strong recruiting class for the Bulldogs. Georgia previously got verbal commitments from nine four-star recruits. That list includes quarterback Jake Fromm, safety Richard LeCounte III and offensive guard Netori Johnson.
Beal is the first five-star recruit added to the upcoming class. 247 Sports now has Georgia’s class rated third-best in the nation and second-best in the SEC.
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There wasn’t much doubt surrounding Beal’s announcement, but he drew a large amount of attention from around the United States. Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, Notre Dame (to which he’d previously committed), Miami, Oregon and Ohio State, among others, all offered scholarships to Beal.
The 6-foot-3, 230 pound Beal was the state’s highest-rated player, but lost that distinction after deciding to transfer to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
Georgia gets a scary talented player in Beal. Though he missed four games this past season with an injury, Beal finished the season with 35 total tackles, five sacks and 11 tackles for loss.
Check out the video below for a collection of Beal’s highlights:
There is some mystery over which position Beal will play for the Bulldogs. His size, as it stands, probably isn’t well-suited for playing defensive end in the SEC. Beal could possibly be used as an outside linebacker, given his ability to get into the backfield.
It’s worth pointing out that Kevin Sherrer, Georgia’s outside linebackers coach, was one of Beal’s primary recruiters from Georgia. New defensive coordinator Mel Tucker recruited him, too, after coming to Athens.
Boom!!!
— Kevin Sherrer (@CoachSherrerGT) July 5, 2016
Regardless of where Beal plays, the Bulldogs are getting a talented player who should make Georgia’s defense a force to be reckoned with for the foreseeable future.