Florida lands blue-chip RB Andrew Beard in major recruiting win

Florida football earned a crucial recruiting win on Friday when it secured the services of four-star running back Andrew Beard.

The Peach State product chose Florida over other finalists in his recruiting, including Georgia, Clemson and Tennessee. The signing marks a continuation of the wave of momentum the Gators have experienced under new head coach Jon Sumrall.

Ranked among the top prospects in the state of Georgia, Beard spurning the Bulldogs speaks to the talent pipeline Sumrall is reestablishing in SEC territory. The Prince Avenue Christian School student, who stands at 5-foot-10-inches and 197 pounds, rushed for 1,260 yards along with 12 touchdowns during his junior season. Beard also hauled in five receiving touchdowns in this span, denoting his ability as a dual-threat weapon on offense.

The ninth-ranked running back in the state, Beard is the first running back commitment in Florida's 2027 cycle. He is also the ninth four-star recruit signed by the Gators this cycle. Ten of Florida's 13 recruits have ratings of four stars or above; the Gators currently sit at No. 6 in the Rivals team recruiting rankings and are sure to be bolstered by the arrival of Beard.

The 18th-ranked player in the state has family ties to former Georgia running back Garrison Hearst. Beard's uncle is considered one of the greatest backs to ever play in the SEC, winning SEC Player of the Year, the Doak Walker Award and George Halas Award in 2002; he was also a unanimous All-American the same season.

Andrew Beard recruiting summary

Beard is ranked No. 154 overall and No. 9 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite, while the  has him at Nos. 165 and 9, respectively. He had 30 total offers, including seven other SEC schools, among them Georgia, Clemson and Tennessee.