Beasley has found home at defensive end

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Wed Apr 18 10:36:25 GMT-04:00 2012

CLEMSON – Vic Beasley Vic Beasley
RS Fr. Linebacker
#3 6-3, 235
Adairsville, GA
View Full Profile came to Clemson out of Georgia’s Adairsville High School as a highly-regarded athlete, with many wondering whether he would play tight end or linebacker on the collegiate level.

He signed with Clemson as a part of the 2010 recruiting class – choosing Clemson over Alabama shortly before the start of the 2009 season. When he arrived in Clemson, he played tight end in order to try and bolster the numbers for a unit that would soon see Michael PalmerMichael Palmer
Tight End
# 6-4, 228
Lilburn, GA
View Full Profile trade in his Tiger jersey for an NFL jersey.

Then came a lack of numbers at the linebacker position – former defensive coordinator Kevin SteeleKevin Steele
Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers
View Full Profile once said he only had three healthy linebackers at one point – and Beasley was moved to linebacker during his 2010 redshirt year.

Finally, before the start of practice a year ago, he was moved to defensive end and he was forced to learn a third new position during his short tenure as a Tiger. And now, at end, he thinks he has found a home.

Beasley played in nine games in 2011 – an interesting stat is the fact that Clemson was 9-0 in games in which he played – and managed two tackles while playing just 16 snaps. But with numbers down at the defensive end spot, Beasley is once again expected to step into the breach, and he will back up Corey CrawfordCorey Crawford
Fr. Defensive End
#93 6-5, 280
Columbus, GA
View Full Profile at bandit end in 2012 and might pass that 16 snap total in Clemson’s first game of the season, a matchup against Auburn, the school that his father once played for.

Beasley told TigerNet following the spring game that the move came at a good time, and he is now beginning to feel comfortable at the spot.

“It was a good move for me, because I had played a little bit of it in high school,” Beasley said. “I have also played some linebacker here, and in many ways it’s the same thing because I play at bandit end where you can stand up. So it really hasn’t been too bad.”

Beasley boasts 235 pounds on his 6-3 frame – almost perfect for a speedy rush end – and said it’s now a place he wants to make a home.

“I can see myself playing there at the next level,” he said. “The hardest thing for me has been learning the technique. For me, it was different playing in a 3-point stance. One play I might be playing a ‘5 technique (lined up on the outside shoulder of the offensive tackle), and the next I might be lined up at the ‘6 technique (lined up nose to nose with the tight end). That has been the hardest thing for me so far. But I feel like I have seen a lot of growth in learning how to rush the quarterback and using my speed to come off the edge.”

Beasley showed his growth on Saturday, notching two sacks, but defensive coordinator Brent Venables said Beasley still has a lot to learn about the position.

“He definitely has all of the tools that you look for at the position,” Venables said. “He just hasn’t played there a lot, and it’s a learning process. He has to learn how to play in the 3-point stance, where his pad level should be, where his eyes should be and how to use his hands. And we have to get him there because we are short at that position.”

Beasley said he thinks that he feels like once he can master the techniques of the position, he feels that he and Crawford could become a two-headed monster that will be a headache for opposing offenses.

“We will be a good team when we get to the fall,” he said. “I feel like I am a little faster coming off the end than he is, and he can play the run better. I think we will make a good team.”