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Lumberton's Beard commits to SMU for football

Raiderfan87

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Raiderfan87

Raiderfan87

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From the Beaumont Enterprise Online:

Lumberton senior linebacker Anthony Beard verbally committed to play football at Southern Methodist University, his high school coach said today.

Lumberton coach Alvin Credeur said Beard committed to SMU on Saturday. Because a verbal commitment is a non-binding agreement, Beard can change his until he signs with SMU on National Signing Day. The earliest he can sign with SMU is Feb. 3.

Beard joins Central receiver Keenan Holman as the area's only players to commit to SMU, which is currently in first place in Conference USA.

"It was when he was a freshman, you could see that he had the instincts to play at the next level," Credeur said.

Beard, who is The Enterprise's reigning Super Gold Player of the Year, led Lumberton with 97 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, three sacks, a fumble recovery and an interception this season. Lumberton finished 5-5 overall but 2-5 in district where it missed the playoffs for the first time in three seasons.
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Guest Its_All_About_Tha_U

Guest Its_All_About_Tha_U

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November 16, 2009


Armen Williams
PonyPride.com Publisher


When the SMU coaching staff watched film on Lumberton (Texas) linebacker Anthony Beard last winter, there was no doubt in their minds that the 6-foot-1, 220-pounder could play for the their football team. Within days, Beard became one of the very first 2010 offers that the Mustangs put out on the table last February.

Upon receiving the offer, Beard wasn't initially as high on SMU as they were on him. With his whole recruiting process out in front of him, the senior standout was in no rush.

"They were my first offer and like most people, I didn't want to accept the first offer," said Beard. "I wanted to wait and see what happened. I got a lot more offers after that."

Indeed, they came in at a fast pace. All of a sudden, Beard had options from all over the country, including Colorado, Colorado State, Missouri, Arizona and Wyoming. After receiving half a dozen offers, Beard decided to begin evaluating his options.

It was an official visit to Colorado last month that really got Beard's attention. The Buffalos treated Beard like a star and he enjoyed his stay, but there was one problem.

"I liked it up there but I got to walking around and realized that I'm a Texas boy. When I got back, I talked to my parents and I told them that I wanted to get a hold of SMU first."

Seven months had passed since Beard had originally received the offer. Since that time, there was very limited contact with the program. Beard wasn't very optimistic whenever he attempted to get back in touch with the Mustangs.

"I got my coach to call SMU for me and he gave me the number there. Sure enough, they called me the same day and got back with him. They offered me again right then. That made me feel like those guys really wanted me still. It was crazy how it happened but I'm glad it worked out the way it did."

It all led up to this past weekend, where Beard went up to the SMU campus for the first time. Accompanied by his uncle and grandfather, the three-star standout had a lot of thoughts going through his mind as they rolled into Dallas.

"Really, I was excited. From what I had heard about the college, it sounded like a good school. I was excited to get up there and commit and try to get all this over with."

As a varsity starter for Lumberton, Beard wracked up 97 tackles, 18 tackles for a loss, four sacks and three forced fumbles this past season. That's the kind of production that caught SMU's eye and made them believe that Beard would be more than successful within Conference USA.

"They were telling me that if I came in there that I could play early and that's what I want do. I want to go to college and not sit out. I want to play as a freshman. I want to show them that I have what it takes. They believe that I can come in and play special teams at least, immediately."

With thoughts of committing from the beginning of the day, Beard still wanted to take it all in. As the final seconds ticked off the clock and SMU beat UTEP with a final score of 35-31, it all started to sink in for Beard.

Suddenly, SMU had their sixth win on the season and everyone in the stands started talking about the Mustangs first bowl appearance since 1984. Students rushed the field as Beard looked on from his seat.

"It was a good deal after the game and everyone was going on the field and congratulating the players. I'm just happy for the team. I knew that I wanted to be a part of that and I'm glad that they won the game. It was a great feeling."

It was enough for Beard to commit to SMU as soon as he found recruiting coach Wes Suan.

"Coach Suan asked me if I had made a decision and I told him that I was going to commit. He gave me a huge and everything. He said 'thank you'. I told him that he didn't have to thank me and I appreciated them giving me a chance to play for them."

Beard can now take his focus away from the recruiting process and can go back to being a normal 'country boy'. The thought of being only a few hours away from the deer lease is reassuring to Beard. He's ready to make up for loss time and continue building his relationship with the SMU staff.

"I was talking to the coaches and they sounded like really good people that weren't going to play games with me. I felt like they were going to do what they say. The coach told me that with me or without me they were going to win. I decided that I wanted to win with them. I am committed to SMU and now all the stress of picking a college is gone."

Beard got on colleges radar because of his play at linebacker although he's an experienced running back as well. The Mustangs are looking at both positions for Beard. The Lumberton native could care less where he plays on the field. As long as he gets to play the game that he loves in the state that he loves, life is good.
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