Christian Beard can't wait to be a UCF Knight.
The Trinity Valley (Tex.) College offensive lineman committed during his official visit last weekend and then officially signed on Wednesday. He's now counting down the days until he enrolls in January.
The 6-foot-5, 280-pound tackle may not be as big as some of his counterparts, but he has what many others don't. Speed and quickness, perfect for Scott Frost's #UCFast offense.
UCFSports.com recently caught up with the Waco, Tex., native who has three years of eligibility remaining. During the conversation, Beard provided a full recap of the visit as well as offered a glimpse as to how Frost will go about recruiting offensive linemen.
I first spoke with you last Tuesday right after you got the offer and scheduled the official visit for the upcoming weekend. Talk me through on all what happened during those 48 hours in Orlando - I take it you arrived on Friday afternoon?
"I got in Friday around 3:30 or 4. We first went around the campus, just with my parents. I really enjoyed it. I was really impressed by it. We ate with the coaches. That first night was a real chill night, didn't do too much. I met with one of the players and he showed me around. Met a few people. I really enjoyed that.
"The next day we toured the facilities and then the entire campus. It's really top-of-the-line stuff. I was really impressed. I was comparing it to all the stuff I've seen, comparing it to all the big-name schools and UCF really has everything to offer. It was real nice. I was impressed by the professionalism from the academic people to the trainers and staff. That was real important. You can definitely tell they'll take good care of the players. That was another plus for me.
"Then they showed me more of the football aspect. I was really impressed. From the football to campus life and everything else, it was exceptional. It really was. I had no negatives at all. You usually have your pros and cons on a list, but I couldn't list anything as a con. I saw the stadium and it was beautiful. It looks like a great place to play. I was excited to walk around, visualizing myself. Overall it was great. I could not say anything bad about it. My parents were 100 percent for it and I was 100 percent for it.
"Sunday morning I met with Coach Frost and I committed. From there I was done. I'm real excited. I feel the best I've ever felt about going to a place. Sometimes that comes with some stress, stuff like that. But I felt comfortable. Like I said, it's the second time around so I'm ready to get to work. The offseason started (Monday) for me. I'm just getting ready for what's to come so hopefully I can be ready to help the team out."
You said a player showed you around. I know many of the players headed home after finals. Who were you able to meet?
"(Center) Jason Rae. He'll be a senior next year. He's an older guy and told me straight up how it is and how it has been. We kind of knew the same thing about what Coach Frost is gonna do. He's going to be a real good senior leader next year. A real good guy. I'm excited to play with him. He's gonna do big things and be a real positive for the line. He told me about his brothers that play for UCF. He lives in a house with his two brothers, one is a skinnier dude that just goes to school and one of them plays with him now. Real good people. They understand everything."
You were visiting with two other junior college players, defensive lineman DeQuinton Osborne and Josh Odigie, both of whom committed on Sunday as well. Did you guys hit it off?
"I played against DeQuinton (in junior college). The first time I saw him (on the visit) we were talking about the game. We beat them bad earlier in the year and in the playoffs they beat us in overtime after we lost our QB. DeQuinton is a great player. He was the best guy on that d-line. That's a huge get for this team. He's top-of-the-line talent. That's exciting to get him. That's real big. He's the best player on the best defense that we played."
You played tackle at Trinity Valley. Did you ever go head-to-head with Osborne playing defensive tackle?
"Occasionally we double teamed him so I had him a few times. We definitely remembered. When we sat across the dinner table, Coach (Ryan) Held said, 'Oh yeah, this is the kid from Kilgore.' We were all good until we talked about that game (laughs). I'm sure that'll be something we talk about in practice."
Were the three of you talking during the visit about committing?
"We all knew. That's all we talked about. We've been to a lot of places. I was talking to the guy from Orange Coast (Odigie) and said, 'This has everything you need. It might be far from home, but look around. This is a good place that will take care of you.' We were ready on that Saturday. This is a good deal."
So here's the important question - what did you eat? Did they take you guys out to restaurants or were meals catered?
"The first night we ate in the hotel. The other nights we ate in the press box at the stadium. I ate an unreal amount of steak that whole weekend. It was all catering, on-campus stuff. It was steak, steak and more steak."
Coach Frost has yet to name an offensive line coach. Was anything said about the timeframe for a hire there?
"He just told me, 'You're gonna love the guy,' and said they're gonna get the right guy in there and how we're going to find out real soon. He said, 'It'll be a great guy you're gonna love, a guy that loves this offense and can run it.' I know he'll get the right fit in there. I'm excited to see who's going to be coaching me the next three years."
What were the conversations like between you and Coach Frost? Did he speak more about why they targeted you and how you would fit into the offense?
"He told me he looked at a ridiculous amount of offensive lineman from junior college, like 130. He looked at everybody. He said they specifically chose me due to my athleticism and that I would really fit what they want to do. That's one of the reasons why I really want to go to UCF. I wasn't just recruited to fill a spot. He wants me to be in the 290 range. He wants me to be able to run and have that stamina. Obviously be tough because we're going to hit a lot of plays. Sometime about hitting 130 plays in practice in an hour. You've got to get your mind right for this. I've got to be big and able to run. The type of offensive linemen are going to be completely different than anything in the country. We're gonna be 290, fast and quick. Guys who are here are going to have to lose weight now and be ready. It's a new deal. I'm ready and I'm excited."
Frost said he wants you at 290 - what do you weight now?
"I'm 280 now."
So that means you can get some extra helpings at the table this holiday season.
"Yeah. My lifting routine I started (on Monday). I've got to eat and get my protein to be at 290. But a healthy 290, a lean 290."
Do you know what you want to major in?
"Political science."
What number do you want?
"75. But I'll wear any number from one to 99."
Speaking of jerseys, was anything said about that during your visit? Oregon obviously had all those combinations. I'm not sure UCF can match right away, but Frost has mentioned a couple times about changing things up.
"You can expect things to be completely different with the jerseys. I think Frost is probably gonna clean house and get some new things. The equipment manger told me we shouldn't be wearing the same combo. Each week should be a different combo. I understand Coach O'Leary had all these deals, like white socks and preferred white and gold jerseys. You can pretty much throw that out the window. It's going to be exciting and different. I think it's awesome and it'll be fun."
So when is the report date for the spring semester?
"The first team meeting is Jan. 10. I'm ready to get down there and work so I can learn this offense. I'm ready to focus on UCF football and get ready."
