A-List No. 5: Bama commit Jeremiah Beaman is âone of a kindâ
The A-List is AL.com’s ranking of the top 15 senior prospects in the state of Alabama. We will count down one each day until No. 1 is revealed Aug. 23.
The scholarship offers flowed in for Parker defensive lineman Jeremiah Beaman like lawyers’ ads on late-night TV. One after another after another.
College football recruiters flocked to the Birmingham high school that was home to College and Pro Football Hall of Fame Buck Buchanan and six-year NFL veteran Olanda Truitt to see Beaman as he moved effortlessly along every defensive line spot for the Thundering Herd.
Beaman, who comes in at No. 5 on the AL.com A-List of the top 15 senior recruits in the state of Alabama, picked the University of Alabama on May 21 from around 30 choices. All 14 SEC schools sought his services, as did UAB, Clemson, Florida State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Miami and Michigan State.
The 6-foot-4, 260-pounder had scholarship offers from 14 SEC teams. He was also sought after by Clemson, Florida State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Miami, Colorado and Michigan State.
Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech, known for rigid academic requirements, had scholarships awaiting the serious student.
“I got an offer from Yale,” Beaman said proudly. “With me doing what I’m supposed to do in school, taking care of business, I’ve got offers from big-time schools that might not have offered. I’ve always liked school. I got good grades to make my mom and dad proud of me.”
Frank Warren is headed into his fourth season as Parker’s head coach and the fourth season where Beaman has been a starter for the Herd. “I knew he’d be a big-time prospect when I first saw him,” Warren said. “For him to get better every year – I’m really excited to see how he’s going to play this season.
“Jeremiah is a hard-working kid. He deserves everything he gets. The best part of his game is that he’s really cerebral. He’s a smart kid. He knows where everybody is supposed to be. He leads by example and by hard he works. He’s the first in the weight room and always does extra work. He is on time and does things the right way. You don’t have to tell him to watch film.
“He can get on anybody on the team and nobody has a problem. When your best player does that, it makes my life a whole lot easier,” Warren said.
Beaman also pointed to his dedication to getting better as a reason for all the recruiting attention, tweeting a video of part of an agility drill, saying, “They think I’m crazy because of the work I put in … I’ve been working like this even before I was blessed with any of this.”
“I always feel somebody else is out there working as hard as me,” Beaman said. “I do extra work, for two years I’ve been going to [private] training. I go to training at 6 a.m., then practice, then I study until 11 o’clock. When school starts, I go to school, then practice, then training. I hate to think that somebody might be outworking me.”
The coach said Beaman started as an interior lineman, but now he’s playing weak side defensive end. “I think he can hold the whole line by himself.”
College recruiters like Beaman’s body frame, his technique and his work habits, Warren said. “They like his physicality and how he can move. He can play any position on the defensive line. He can get bigger with his frame. There are few like him in the country who can play inside and out. He’s one of a kind in the ‘24 class.”
A-LIST NO. 5: JEREMIAH BEAMAN, PARKER
Position: Defensive line
Height/weight: 6-4, 265
College status: Committed to Alabama.
Randy Kennedy’s scouting report: College scouts seldom discover a defensive lineman who is adept at scoring touchdowns. Jeremiah Beaman does just that as an interceptor on defense and a tight end on offense. Beaman is a great athlete who is expected to grow into an interior defensive lineman.
THE 2024 A-LIST
No. 15: Josh Flowers, QB, Baker
No. 14: Bobby Pruitt, LB, Theodore
No. 13: JaCorey Whitted, TE, McAdory
No. 12: Kevin Riley, RB, Tuscaloosa County
No. 11: J’marion Burnette, RB, Andalusia
No. 10: William Sanders, OL, Brookwood
No. 9: Jordan Ross, EDGE, Vestavia Hills
No. 8: Joseph Phillips, LB, Booker T. Washington