Nation's No. 6 RB announces Top 4 programs amid intense recruiting battle

A serious recruiting battle is under way as elite college football programs look to make a good impression on one of the highest-ranked running backs in a talented 2027 class.

Four-star Bogart (Ga.) running back Andrew Beard has revealed his four most important schools, including three in the SEC and one in the ACC.

NEWS: Four-Star RB Andrew Beard is down to 4 Schools, he tells me for @Rivals

The 5’10 195 RB from Bogart, GA is ranked as the No. 6 RB in the ‘27 Class (per Rivals Industry)

Where Should He Go?https://t.co/xijhQw1Act pic.twitter.com/x51uYDPTH7
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) February 9, 2026

Who’s in the race for Beard?

Out in front right now appears to be Georgia, with running backs coach Josh Crawford said to be leading the program’s efforts to secure Beard’s commitment.

“The culture and determination is hard to beat,” the player said of the Bulldogs.

Georgia already scored one of the best running backs in the 2027 class in Kemon Spell, the consensus five-star who is ranked as the top-ranked rusher and No. 7 overall prospect in addition to three-star back Noah Parker.

Kirby Smart’s program places second in the country in the latest 2027 college football recruiting rankings, according to the Rivals industry average.

Georgia’s rival also in play

Florida is currently looking to build its first recruiting class with first-year head coach Jon Sumrall and has risen in Beard’s estimation recently.

“I like the way Coach Sumrall is a person and how he is as a coach, and already having a relationship with Coach Foster and Coach Faulkner helps a lot,” Beard said, via Rivals.

Gators offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Buster Faulkner and running backs coach Chris Foster are thought to be leading the school’s effort to recruit Beard.

Rocky Top wants involved

Tennessee is in a good position with Beard, who likes the offense Josh Heupel runs.

“They spread the defense out and give running backs an opportunity to run in space,” Beard said of the Volunteers’ offense.

Yet to earn a running back commitment, Tennessee ranks No. 17 nationally in the 2027 football recruiting rankings, according to 247Sports.

Dabo is taking a look

Ranking 105th nationally in rushing this past season, Clemson is in the market for a long-term answer at running back, and currently has Beard’s attention.

The running back has stated that he’ll take an official visit in early March, as Dabo Swinney’s program “has grown on me late,” he said.

Clemson, ranking No. 18 in the latest 2027 recruiting rankings, has no running back commitments as of yet.

What he’s done on the field

Beard has proven a very productive commodity in the backfield at Prince Avenue Christian School in Bogart, Ga.

Last season, Beard ran 165 times for 1,292 yards while scoring 13 touchdowns and averaging 7.8 yards per carry in 12 games, according to MaxPreps.

The year before, the tailback had 1,937 yards and 21 touchdowns while posting almost 9 yards per attempt.

In total, Beard has 3,229 rushing yards on 387 carries with 34 touchdowns in 26 games during his varsity career.

How he rates as a recruit

Beard has been considered one of the highest-rated running backs in the 2027 football recruiting class by analysts.

He is currently listed as the No. 6 running back prospect in the country and the No. 11 overall player from the state of Georgia, according to an average of the national recruiting services.

That average calls Beard the No. 87 overall high school football recruit in the 2027 cycle.

What the experts are saying

One SEC program is currently leading the way in the race to sign Beard, but other schools are still solidly in the picture.

Georgia is out in front for the running back, listed with a 32.7 percent chance to earn Beard’s commitment, according to the Rivals Recruiting Prediction Machine.

In a relatively-close second place is Clemson, which sits at 16.4 percent to poach the tailback away from their rivals by that metric.

Tennessee is a close third with a 10.6 percent chance to land the Peach State tailback.

(Rivals)

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