The Recruiting Guy

UNDER THE RADAR: Cross County’s AJ Beale

2022 athlete AJ Beale.

Photo courtesy of Tracy Counce.
2022 athlete AJ Beale. Photo courtesy of Tracy Counce.

On Wednesdays, we feature an in-state prospect who could be flying under the radar of college coaches. This week's UTR prospect Cross County’s AJ Beale.

Class: 2022

Position: Athlete

Size: 6-0, 180 pounds

40-yard dash: 4.48 seconds

Strength: 13 reps of 185 pounds in bench press, 485-pound squat

GPA: 3.0

Stats: As a junior, 100 carries for 677 yards and 8 touchdowns, and 37 catches for 839 yards and 12 touchdowns in 8 games.

Interest: Arkansas, Arkansas State, Arkansas Tech, Arkansas-Monticello and others

Coach Cody Goulart on Beale

“He works hard. He gets after it every day. He’s a team leader. He’s everything you want at a high school in a leader because he does the little things when no one is looking to lead a team and guide a team in the direction they need to be successful on the off the field.”

Goulart on Beale's versatility

"He could be lined up at slot for us. He could line up out wide or he could line up at running back, and even a few times he lined up a quarterback.”

Goulart on Beale's Under Armour camp

“It was basically a couple-hundred kids just trying out for a spot to get invited to the actual Under Armour combine. He was one of three kids that got invited to come back for that weekend. He was competing against some of the nation’s top recruits at that combine.”

Goulart on Beale's showing at Arkansas camp

"They asked him to stay — I believe he told me it was him and probably six or seven other guys from the camp they asked to stay after the camp was over and do an unofficial visit. Got to tour all of the facilities.”

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