![Florida head coach Jon Sumrall speaks after spring practice at Sanders Practice Fields in Gainesville, FL on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_2501,h_1406/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/213/01kqjawt3vyr3vxwchtg.jpg "Florida head coach Jon Sumrall speaks after spring practice at Sanders Practice Fields in Gainesville, FL on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]")
Florida has made a ton of headway for its class of 2027, but one position it still needs to figure out is running back. None of Florida’s commits are from the backfield and there isn’t a clear cut leader for who the Gators are ultimately going to sign for this year’s class.
Florida is hoping to get some clarity on that next week as one of the four-star running backs they are pursuing is set to make his commitment ahead of his official visits.
Andrew Beard set to make commitment on May 8
Andrew Beard wil announce on May 8 his commitment to either Florida, Georgia, Clemson, or Tennessee. The Gators have been after Beard for quite some time now as they first offered him in April of 2025 and have an official visit lined up with him this June.
On film, Beard isn’t necessarily a speedster but he is shifty enough in the hole to somehow always emerge and get upfield. He is a patient runner who doesn’t panic. When he reaches college, he will probably need to find his role as either a “power” back or a “speed” back as right now he is somewhat caught inbetween, but there is a reason why he has 46 total touchdowns over the past two seasons and averaged over 8.0 yard per carry in 2025.
🚨NEWS🚨 4-star RB Andrew Beard will announce his commitment on May 8, @ChadSimmons_ reports‼️
— Rivals (@Rivals) May 1, 2026
Beard will choose between Clemson, Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee.
Read: https://t.co/5W3aZ8o7Zv pic.twitter.com/2Nx1FPsEjt
Right now all major sites have him as a four-star with 247 ranking him the highest at 163rd overall.
The race for Beard is somewhat all over the map, as Swamp247 logged a prediction that Beard is going to land with Florida while 247’s Clemson sister site logged a prediction he will land with the Tigers. Rivals has yet to log a formal prediction. Throw in the fact that his uncle is Garrison Hearst, who played at Georgia for three seasons before a lengthy NFL career, and it feels like anything is possible.
We have to imagine that if things are as tight as these two contrasting predictions claim, and if Beard goes on his official visits in a few weeks, that no matter who he commits to that there will still be more to go his in recruitment as the offseason progresses.
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