Arizona football recruiting: Emmanuel Beal receives Arizona offer, currently his top choice

Arizona could be on the verge of landing a versatile outside linebacker for 2016

The Arizona Wildcats have less than a month before National Signing Day, where they'll lock up the 2016 recruiting class, with the potential to crack the top 30 in the national rankings. On Wednesday night, Arizona sent out an offer to 6-3 220lb outside linebacker Emmanuel Beal.

Beal hails from Lackawanna College in Scranton, PA. The college might sound familiar, as that is the same school as former Arizona commit, Kapri Doucet. At Lackawanna, Beal led the Northeast Junior College Football Conference in sacks and finished second in solo tackles. He finished the season first in the nation in forced fumbles, fourth in the nation in sacks, and 16th in solo tackles.

I've been able to talk to Emmanuel a few times throughout his recruitment process and got a chance to talk to him after he received his offer from Arizona. His offer list now includes Akron, Bethune-Cookman, West Georgia, New Mexico, Stony Brook, Rhode Island and Ball State.

Blessed to have received offer #9 from The University of Arizona #BearDown ⬇️ http://pic.twitter.com/ggFc1fAJkk

— Emmanuel Beal (@In_EB_We_Trust) January 7, 2016

His recruitment with Arizona started one October morning when he woke to a call from Coach Kirelawich, telling him that he liked the way Beal played and Arizona is looking for some linebackers. The staff flew out to visit him at the beginning of December, during the big recruiting tour.

He had been in talks with a few other programs, but back in December when I first spoke to him, he said that Arizona was the offer he was looking forward to the most. Fast forward a month and he finally has his offer. "I feel relieved that a school I have high interest in is going to give me the opportunity to do what I love at the next level of college football," he said about finally receiving the offer.

"I honestly played one season as a linebacker, and that was this past season. I played defensive end my whole life, so when coaches recruit me, I'm the player they want rushing the passer a lot. I don't mind the different schemes on defense as long as I'm doing what I do best which is rush the passer," he said about the uncertainty of Arizona's future defense.

He now plans to finalize official visit plans. "Before Kirelawich got let go, I was supposed to be setting up a visit. I don't know where that stands now but I'm sure I'll take a visit soon," he said about coming to Tucson.

When it comes to his decision process, it's quite simple. "First, how am I taken care of. If I'm going to be far away from home I want to feel at home. Also the team itself, I want to win and become a better football player while I'm there," he said about deciding factors.

"Yes," Beal said when I asked if Arizona was his leader. "Arizona is a place I could call home."

from Arizona Desert Swarm - All Posts http://ift.tt/1OPqZuq
via IFTTT