Every Thursday during the college football season we look back on some two-star prospects who are outplaying their high school ranking and helping their teams win games. This week we look at a pair of linebacker prospects who flew under the radar as recruits but made plenty of plays on the big stage over the weekend.
MORE CHECKUPS: Five-star 2015 RBs | Four-star defenders | Three-stars
As a recruit: Beal took the long way to Norman, Okla., playing his first two years at Lakawanna Community College in Scranton, Pa. During his JUCO recruitment he received just two Power Five offers, one from Oklahoma and one from Arizona, and he committed to the Sooners shortly after an official visit in January 2016.
What he did this week: Despite arriving in Norman with little fanfare, it didn’t take long for Beal to find a way to contribute as he played in all 13 games in 2016, 10 of which were starts. He came into 2017 looking to build upon his solid debut season and he’s done more than that so far this year. On Saturday, he had eight tackles and one pass deflection in the Sooners' victory over Baylor and continues to look like one of the team’s best defensive players.
As a recruit: An accomplished multi-sport athlete in the state of Iowa, Jewell saw very little recruiting interest during his time as a prospect. He initially looked bound for Northern Iowa, and even took an official visit there during his senior season. But late interest from the Hawkeyes put them right in the mix to land his commitment and three days prior to Signing Day in 2013 he announced his decision to join Iowa.
What he did this week: Iowa is known for taking under-the-radar prospects and turning them into stars and Jewell has developed into quite the talent. Despite Iowa’s last-second loss to Penn State, Jewell turned in a marvelous performance, racking up 16 total tackles, three of which were for loss, as well as two pass deflections. Coming into the season, Jewell was already on the all-time Iowa leaderboard in several categories and he continues to climb his way up the charts with showings like he had over the weekend.
