Brendan Beal, the 6-foot-3, 236 pound linebacker from Roxbury High School in Succasunna (N.J.), finished his junior year with 152 tackles, 11 sacks, six fumbles caused and two interceptions. He benches 350 pounds, squats 475, has a 33-inch vertical jump and runs the 40 in 4.55 seconds.
"I have great instincts," Beal said. "I play with passion and violence. I'm big, strong and fast. I can also read plays and dissect a defense well.
"I want to improve my agility and quickness a little. I need to get off blocks better."
Beal says he has around 21 scholarship offers and although he denies a leader, he favors Notre Dame, Ohio State, Florida, Wake Forest, Boston College and Rutgers. The Gators are his only favorite that hasn't offered yet.
"I'm going to the Florida spring practice in a few weeks. They are the national champions and they get guys in the pros," Beal said. "Florida is a great place to live and the weather is nice. Also, their academic reputation is improving and they aren't just a football factory."
He also has offers from Michigan, Northwestern, Virginia and Nebraska.
April is going to be a very busy month for Beal as he plans to take several unofficial visits. "I'm gonna try to visit Notre Dame, Ohio State, Boston College, Nebraska, Michigan and maybe a few others.
"I'd like to make my decision over the summer," Beal said. "I want to graduate early and be ready for spring ball. If I feel right about a school I'll do it. I really don't want to waste anybody's time. After I take my unofficial visits next month, I'll try to narrow it down. I should have a top three by summer. Then I'll visit those three during the summer and hopefully make a decision."
Growing up, Beal always followed Boston College because his dad, Craig Beal, used to play middle linebacker for the Eagles. "He's been my mentor and coach my whole life," Beal said. "He's gonna guide me and be a big part of the process.
"I like Boston College because the campus is beautiful and the stadium is really nice," he said. "They have a lot of great alumni. They have a lot of guys working on Wall Street and that would be pretty nice. I'd like to go pro, but I have to be realistic that anything can happen, so I want to major in finance and work on Wall Street."
Beal is curious to see how Boston College does this season under their new coach, Jeff Jagodzinski. "Coach Tom O'Brien was a great coach and did really well at Boston College. I'm interested to see what happens. Coach Jags has a big reputation to fill and live up to and I hope he keeps it going, but if he doesn't, we'll know why."
Another coach that has really impressed Beal is Charlie Weis from Notre Dame. "What isn't there to like about Notre Dame," Beal said. "They are the total package. I love what coach Weis is doing and they just brought in a big-time quarterback, Jimmy Clausen, so I think they'll be rollin' the next few years. Also, they have the academic reputation I'm looking for."
He reports a 4.3 core GPA (with AP and Honors classes), but has not take the SAT or ACT yet.