Emerging 2022 DE Beau Atkinson Receives Preliminary Interest From Notre Dame

Beau Atkinson‍ saw his recruitment go to the next level this spring as the 2022 North Carolina defensive end collected his first scholarship offers.

The 6-foot-6, 220-pounder landed his first offer from Georgia Tech on April 27th. Two days later, he added Virginia to that list and two weeks after that, Virginia Tech joined.

“I was obviously very excited,” Atkinson told Irish Sports Daily. “I’ve been playing football since I was in second grade. My dream has always been to play college football, so I’m ecstatic about that. I’m very excited.”

The Leesville Road High School standout is receiving interest from several other schools as well and recently, Notre Dame called Atkinson’s coach looking for information, including academic transcripts.

“I’m waiting to hear back,” Atkinson explained. “I know it takes time to evaluate the transcripts and stuff. Virginia said it took a while for that too.”

Atkinson was fired up to hear he was on the Irish’s radar.

“It felt sick,” he said. “When I was a little kid, I really wanted to go to Notre Dame, that was my dream school, Notre Dame and Stanford. I felt really happy and excited when I heard they were trying to contact me.

“I just really wanted to play at a school that knows how to win and I know they have that. Also, their academics are amazing too and academics come first.”

College coaches like the explosion with which Atkinson plays.

“They like how much energy I bring, not just during the play, but even after the play by celebrating and keeping my team hype,” he said of what coaches have told him. “They like how tough I am. I’m probably a little lighter than most defensive linemen, but I’m still able to go inside against these big guys and go to work.”

Atkinson was able to get to Duke, North Carolina, North Carolina State and Virginia Tech last fall and then took another unofficial to Blacksburg right before the dead period began in response to the COVID-19 crisis.

“Pretty much every school in-state I’ve been to a game at,” he said. “This summer, I was planning on going to Virginia Tech, Virginia, pretty much anywhere that actually contacted my coach. Anywhere that wanted me to come, I was planning on coming up.”

He’s going to employ that same strategy when it comes to visits once things do open back up.

“I’m going to try to get to as many places as I possibly can,” he said.

Atkinson still has plenty of time before he needs to make a decision, but already has a good grasp on what will be most important to him when that time does come.

“Academics come first because if I can’t go pro, which is very hard to, I want to have a good life afterward where I can make money. Other than that, I want to go to a school that can develop me into a much better player so that I can go as far as I possibly can.”