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Kevin Beard was a productive receiver in his time at the University of Miami from 1999-2003. Beard has been involved in coaching since 2007, and is the Receivers Coach at University School as well as a coach for the South Florida Express 7-on-7 team. I had a chance to speak with Beard on Saturday at the Express tryouts.
Me: Talk about the type of talent you saw out here today.
Beard: Whenever you put something like this together, you expect nothing but the best. Like every year, it didn’t disappoint. The best part of it is when you see players that you had never heard of before and say, “Wow, he’s a player.”
Me: What are some of the main things you try to work on with these kids, not only in this setting, but at University School?
Beard: Growing up in South Florida and going to school in South Florida, I got a chance to see the fundamentals and the technique get overlooked because there’s so many athletes and so much talent down here. So a lot of coaches will just say, “Hey, you’re fast. Just come out here and be a receiver and just run.” The thing that kids are lacking when they go to college is the fundamentals and technique, but everybody is fast and strong at the next level, so the thing that will separate you is the technique and that’s what I try to focus on.
Me: How did you get into coaching?
Beard: The main thing was being at Miami, if you look at the staffs that we had, there were 7 coaches that are head coaches now whether it be college or NFL. If you understand that you’ve been taught by the best and you’ve played with the best and you consider yourself to be one of the best to be in that conversation, you have so much knowledge to give and there’s so many kids wanting and needing that knowledge so I think it would be crazy to sit at home and die with all of this rather than give back to the youth and impact somebody’s life.
Me: Switching over to the University of Miami, there’s been a lot of talk about how they did recruiting-wise in South Florida this year. What are your thoughts on that?
Beard: It’s kind of a Catch 22 because when you say anything against your school, it’s like, “Why is he saying that? And he’s a hater and traitor.” it was disappointing to see how it all transpired, but at the same time you’ve got to give them a chance to work their magic because they became coaches at the University of Miami so you have to give them their chance and a lot of times what I noticed from even being there is that fans don’t have patience. That’s the biggest thing you need as a fan or a spectator is to give the coaches time to work what they do.
Me: What do you think about the direction of the program overall under Coach Golden?
Beard: Offensively, they’re explosive. Everybody’s playing and everybody’s getting a touch here and there so everyone is happy. Defensively, they are lacking with as many yards a game and all that, but just like everyone says, they’re young and I’m excited to see how they do this year and what changes they make.
Me: I wanted to ask you about a couple kids you’ve worked with, first up Stacy Coley. What is the University of Miami getting in him?
Beard: He came out here last year and tried out and made the team, but decided not to play with us. But man, he’s explosive. The comparison we all talked about out here with him is Randy Moss, he’s a deep-threat, and that’s what he does. The main thing with him is the explosiveness and that’s what you look for at any level. I look forward to seeing him do that at Miami when he gets the opportunity.
Me: Next up, I want to ask you about Ermon Lane, who’s out here today.
Beard: Oh man, he’s a monster. I always bother him about getting my hands on him and fine-tuning the rawness. He’s going to be able to go to any school he wants to, but it’s just a matter of if he’s technically and fundamentally sound. Oh man, you think Amari Cooper is doing things? Lane is a freak. I don’t look at receivers as what people see them as, I look at them as what they can be and their potential. Everybody may gives them praise, but I know what greatness takes and if he can get those little things right, then the sky is the limit. He played for us at the national championship last year and I think he was receptive to all the comments I was making to him because he knew it was only making him better. He should probably be the top receiver in the nation, if not top 5.
Me: Talk about the type of talent you saw out here today.
Beard: Whenever you put something like this together, you expect nothing but the best. Like every year, it didn’t disappoint. The best part of it is when you see players that you had never heard of before and say, “Wow, he’s a player.”
Me: What are some of the main things you try to work on with these kids, not only in this setting, but at University School?
Beard: Growing up in South Florida and going to school in South Florida, I got a chance to see the fundamentals and the technique get overlooked because there’s so many athletes and so much talent down here. So a lot of coaches will just say, “Hey, you’re fast. Just come out here and be a receiver and just run.” The thing that kids are lacking when they go to college is the fundamentals and technique, but everybody is fast and strong at the next level, so the thing that will separate you is the technique and that’s what I try to focus on.
Me: How did you get into coaching?
Beard: The main thing was being at Miami, if you look at the staffs that we had, there were 7 coaches that are head coaches now whether it be college or NFL. If you understand that you’ve been taught by the best and you’ve played with the best and you consider yourself to be one of the best to be in that conversation, you have so much knowledge to give and there’s so many kids wanting and needing that knowledge so I think it would be crazy to sit at home and die with all of this rather than give back to the youth and impact somebody’s life.
Me: Switching over to the University of Miami, there’s been a lot of talk about how they did recruiting-wise in South Florida this year. What are your thoughts on that?
Beard: It’s kind of a Catch 22 because when you say anything against your school, it’s like, “Why is he saying that? And he’s a hater and traitor.” it was disappointing to see how it all transpired, but at the same time you’ve got to give them a chance to work their magic because they became coaches at the University of Miami so you have to give them their chance and a lot of times what I noticed from even being there is that fans don’t have patience. That’s the biggest thing you need as a fan or a spectator is to give the coaches time to work what they do.
Me: What do you think about the direction of the program overall under Coach Golden?
Beard: Offensively, they’re explosive. Everybody’s playing and everybody’s getting a touch here and there so everyone is happy. Defensively, they are lacking with as many yards a game and all that, but just like everyone says, they’re young and I’m excited to see how they do this year and what changes they make.
Me: I wanted to ask you about a couple kids you’ve worked with, first up Stacy Coley. What is the University of Miami getting in him?
Beard: He came out here last year and tried out and made the team, but decided not to play with us. But man, he’s explosive. The comparison we all talked about out here with him is Randy Moss, he’s a deep-threat, and that’s what he does. The main thing with him is the explosiveness and that’s what you look for at any level. I look forward to seeing him do that at Miami when he gets the opportunity.
Me: Next up, I want to ask you about Ermon Lane, who’s out here today.
Beard: Oh man, he’s a monster. I always bother him about getting my hands on him and fine-tuning the rawness. He’s going to be able to go to any school he wants to, but it’s just a matter of if he’s technically and fundamentally sound. Oh man, you think Amari Cooper is doing things? Lane is a freak. I don’t look at receivers as what people see them as, I look at them as what they can be and their potential. Everybody may gives them praise, but I know what greatness takes and if he can get those little things right, then the sky is the limit. He played for us at the national championship last year and I think he was receptive to all the comments I was making to him because he knew it was only making him better. He should probably be the top receiver in the nation, if not top 5.
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