FIU goes on a Beers run to Colorado to sign tight end with ‘best name in college football’

There’s buzz about Beers at FIU.

The buzz started when Panthers coach Mike MacIntyre announced on Dec. 21 that FIU had signed the player with “the best name in college football.”

That would be 6-5, 225-pound tight end and Colorado native Rowdy Beers, who is from Littleton, which is nine miles south. of downtown Denver.

He comes from a tall and athletic family that includes his brother, Rocky Beers, who is a 6-5, 220-pound sophomore tight end at Air Force.

Their sister, Raegan Beers, is a 6-3 freshman basketball player at Oregon State. She was a McDonald’s All-American and a three-time All-State player in high school.

Then there’s the family’s baby sister, Rylie Beers, a basketball player who is already 5-10 as a sophomore, and was recently scouted by Iowa State.

In other words, Beers are everywhere. Beers in the house. Beers after the game. You name a pun, and Rowdy Beers has likely heard it before.

“As a kid,” Beers said, “any time I told my name to a new authority figure, they thought I was being disrespectful.”

Beers, who at 18 is not legally old enough to have one, recently thought he was in trouble when he was called to the office at his high school, Valor Christian.

“I was in my college algebra class,” said Beers, who has a 3.2 grade-point average and aspires to be a firefighter when he’s done playing football. “On my way to the office, I was thinking, ‘What could I have done wrong?’”

As it turns out, nothing.

Beers was summoned to take a call from MacIntyre, who offered him his first FBS offer.

Given that it was 75 degrees warmer in Miami than it was in -2 degree Littleton at the time, Beers quickly said “yes”.

It helps that MacIntyre has extra credibility in Colorado due to what he accomplished with the Buffaloes program. In 2016, for example, MacIntyre was named AP National Coach of the Year after leading Colorado to its first Pac-12 South Division championship.

Once Beers signed, he joined an impressive tight end class that also includes Louisville transfer Christian Pedersen and Braiden Staten, an incoming freshman from Tennessee.

MacIntyre worked his connections to get the two freshmen tight ends. MacIntyre grew up in Tennessee, which meant that finding out about Staten was relatively easy.

But the coach found Beers because MacIntyre’s son-in-law, Blake Froistad, works in alumni relations at Valor Christian.

Froistad sent videotape of Beers to MacIntyre, and the connection was made.

Beers arrived in Miami on Dec. 16 for a weekend official visit of FIU.

“It was amazing,” Beers said. “You could just feel the heat, and I was bathing in it for as long as I could.”

Beers, who caught just 16 passes for 191 yards and three touchdowns during the past two seasons, said he related to FIU tight ends coach Joshua Eargle immediately.

Eargle sees his potential, Beers said.

“I love [Eargle]already, even after knowing him for (a short time),” Beers said.

“It’s encouraging that he sees what I can become – this big ol’ dude barreling down the field – and it’s awesome to be welcomed into a tight end room that includes Pedersen and Staten.”

Beers, who was named after three-time Olympic gold-medalist swimmer Rowdy Gaines, had right shoulder surgery on Dec. 29 but is expected to be ready by mid-May.

MacIntyre, though, is surely impressed with the toughness of Beers. He hurt his shoulder while blocking in the first game of his senior season, but he only missed one contest as Valor Christian finished 11-3, losing in the state final to four-time champ Cherry Creek.

Beers’ determination is refreshing. And refreshing is one thing you can certainly say about Beers.