Mizzou Mic’d Up: Eric Beisel

Eric Beisel has only been a college linebacker for a short time, but he has already adopted the type of mindset all great defensive players need to have.

“Just go out there,” he said to his teammates during the second fall scrimmage. “Do our jobs, and eat!”

That’s just one of the many juicy soundbites available in the video above, where we mic’d up Beisel, a freshman from Rockwood Summit in St. Louis, Mo.

Beisel gets his heart rate going with jumping jacks, while chanting T-I-G-E-R-S, before branching off into various agility and hand-skill drills. Thirty seconds into the video, he backpedals to simulate dropping back into coverage, then attacks the ball, which is thrown his way.

Each time he catches it for what would be an interception.

Then its time for the game. Beisel finds himself in the middle of the action, assisting tackles and showing off his general nose for the ball.

Beisel showed off the talent that made him Mizzou’s No.4 overall recruit this year, according to ESPN.com, and the talent that interested defensive coordinator Dave Steckel in the first place.

“He is a great guy,” Beisel said, of Steckel. “He knows what he’s talking about and he makes the meetings fun. I’m proud to be part of his linebacking core.”

Beisel is even happier with the fellow freshmen that head coach Gary Pinkel, Steckel and the rest of the coaching staff brought in for this season. The entire freshman class is very close, the product of so many days in the grueling heat together to accomplish a goal.

“I’m pretty much friends with the whole freshman class,” Beisel said. “We’re a real close class. We all have our nicknames, we all have our little things. We have a fun class.”

In the video, Beisel is interviewed by redshirt sophomore and fellow linebacker Kentrell Brothers. Brothers was named the most improved linebacker in the spring.

“How have you adapted to the college life so far?” Brothers asks.

“I’ve adapted pretty well,” Beisel says. “College life is a lot different from high school. There are a lot more distractions. But you just need to focus them out. I’m here for football. That’s what I’m going to focus on.”

Beisel chose Mizzou over Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa State, Kansas State, Nebraska and Arizona State, among others, citing Mizzou’s beautiful campus and goal-oriented football program as reasons for choosing to be a Tiger.

He proved his loyalty to the program at the end of the video, signing off by shouting our school’s great chant.

“M-I-Z!”

Brothers responds on cue.

“Z-O-U!”