Rivals250 DL Hakeem Beamon talks UNC decommitment, names top group

Hakeem Beamon hasn't been shy about taking visits since he committed to North Carolina in June of 2017 but the Rivals250 defensive end out of Chesterfield (Va.) Lloyd C Bird announced his decommitment today and has a short list of top contenders.

IN HIS OWN WORDS…

"Decommitting has been on my mind for a long time," Beamon said. "Communication played a big part. I was going to do it on spring break but it's been on my mind for the past couple weeks so I figured I might as well do it today.

"I'm going to do some camps and visit some schools," he said. "I'll be at Ohio State for a spring practice on April 1st. I think I'll also be at Alabama for a camp and their spring game on April 21st. These are unofficial visits.

"I'd say that Ohio State, Alabama, Clemson, and South Carolina are my top four right now," said Beamon. "Ohio State has a great track record with their outside linebackers and defensive ends, especially with coach Larry Johnson. I just want to meet him, some of the players, and ask them some questions.

"With Alabama, it's the SEC," he said. "It's the best conference in the country. The program speaks for itself. They produce a lot of great linebackers and defensive linemen. I know they are really competitive there and they are very serious about football. If I was to go down there it wouldn't really change up my lifestyle. All I do train and do school work now so it would be great to be around some guys that are like that too. Plus I like the heat down there.

"With South Carolina, it's pretty much the same thing," Beamon said. "The coaches are saying they really want me to come be with them and to take another visit. I was there a couple weeks ago. They are really building something there. They are in a good conference and those coaches have a good track record.

"Clemson does a good job with defensive linemen and linebackers," he said. "They should be able to develop me well. The coaches want me to be ready because I could play end or they could switch me up to play defensive tackle. I'm working on setting up a visit there next month. I don't have an offer from Clemson yet but they are pretty solid in my top group.

"I'll probably want to commit before the season because I don't want to have to think about all this during the season when I'm also doing football and school," said Beamon. "I'm not sure about official visits."

RIVALS' REACTION…

Beamon's early commitment to North Carolina looked flimsier as time went on and, even though they aren't in his top group, Penn State and Virginia Tech will play a role in his recruitment before all is said and done. Alabama seems like they're in the best spot with Beamon right now but that could all change as he takes more visits. Keep an eye on Beamon's reactions are his stops at Ohio State, Clemson, and South Carolina.