Minnesota Football Recruiting: 3-star Guard, Austin Beier Commits to Gophers

(*Editor's note...What the heck does "Commitment to Eight" mean? It is our new recurring title for recruit commitments referencing a commitment to work towards the Gopher's Eighth National Championship.)...The final recruiting profile to catch up on.

Austin Beier is an Ohio kid who has committed to being Elite. A 3-star offensive lineman who projects to be on the interior visited with this family in late March and didn’t leave without committing.

What initially stands out about Beier is that he is a really bright kid who committed to Minnesota, in part, because of their solid engineering program. Let’s learn a bit more about Beier.

Quotables

Ryan Burns of GopherIllustrated ($cout).

Minnesota was the right fit for me because of the great engineering program and coach Fleck is just an amazing coach. I'll be playing guard at Minnesota and I love playing that position. I just like being on the line, and I'm comfortable at guard. I'm now done with the recruiting process and I don't think I'll be visiting anywhere else!"

Bill Greene’s analysis via Scout.

I know the plan is to play Beier at guard, where his athleticism will stand out, but I love this kid as a center because of his intelligence. He could make every call on the offensive line, and never have a worry of assignments being blown. As a guard, he will be perfect with his ability to pull and get out in front of plays. Beier has played in a great high school program, so he's been taught the game the right way and has faced great competition in Ohio.

Measurables

Height: 6' 4"
Weight: 260 lbs.

Big 4 Ratings:

Power 5 Offers - Northwestern, Boston College, Indiana

• Scout - 3 stars
• Rivals - 3 stars (5.5 rating)
• 247 - 3 stars (85 rating)
• ESPN - n/a

Junior year highlights:

TDG Analysis

In Two Words - if you have to remember just two things about this player...

• Intelligent
• Technically Sound

Absurd Comparisons

My initial reaction is that he reminds me of Matt Carufel, the Cretin kid who went to Notre Dame out of high school before transferring back to Minnesota and playing here for a couple years. Beier has similar size and hopefully a more consistent future, but their position flexibility and intelligence stand out to me.

Scheme Fit

Says he will be a guard at the next level, but don’t be surprised if he ends up as the center. Good technique and good athleticism for an interior lineman.

Impact on Other Prospects?

Currently our only offensive line commit and expect to see probably 4 more.

Recruiting Map