I usually say that if you can’t get them out of high school, get them out of the portal!
Jeremiah Beasley is a one-of-a-kind transfer, having come from a school that never even held fall practices.
Mizzou was a finalist for Beasley’s services last year, but fell to the eventual National Champion Michigan Wolverines in June 2023. Beasley was an early enrollee in Ann Arbor, arriving on campus in December, but after Jim Harbaugh took over as Chargers head coach on January 23rd, Beasley determined the new staff was not for him and sought other opportunities.
Wouldn’t you know it? That small institution in Columbia, Missouri, had maintained constant communication with him and was back in his ear the moment he entered the transfer portal. Isn’t it funny how things turn out?
Where He Fits: Beasley played running back and linebacker in high school, and the majority of his footage is from running back. He’s a decent running back with the ability to evade tacklers, absorb hits, and run quicker than everyone else, but for the time being, he’s being brought in as a linebacker, so that’s what we’ll focus on.
As a linebacker, he has excellent instincts. You can see his head continually move as he reads the play, and (of course) his highlights show a player who makes the correct read, closes at the proper time, and quickly and accurately eliminates the offensive danger. I believe there are four or five highlights in which he reads a screen throw and pile drives the receiver into the backfield.
Aside having a superb nose for screens, he can consistently squeeze between blocks on a blitz and get a solid bend while rushing from the outside. There wasn’t much footage of his pass defense, but he had a strong ability to play his zone and crash down on the ball when the throw was launched. At an alleged 6’1″ 230 pounds, he moves really rapidly, but I would have liked to see more footage of him absorbing blocks and making tackles through contact.
When He’ll Play: I’m guessing that the presence of Chuck Hicks, Corey Flagg, and Triston Newson makes playing time for a rookie a remote possibility, especially with fellow esteemed freshmen linebackers Brian Huff and Nick Rodriguez arriving at the same time. But the youngster is talented and fast, and last year’s linebackers were frequently deployed on blitzes (which require speed). If the speed and disruption he demonstrated in high school translate to college, I can see him being used as a situational player, or possibly as the third or fourth guy on the depth chart.
What It All Means: We adore blue chip recruits from outside Mizzou’s traditional recruiting footprint, and Beasley is another example. Another advantage is that he is another recruit for a position group in desperate need of reinforcements. And it emphasizes the relevance of the transfer portal: just because you missed out on a person coming out of high school doesn’t mean you can’t bring him back via the gateway. Another victory for Eli Drinkwitz and “Transfer U” Mizzou.
