Beau Bisharat recaps hectic stretch

The days following signing day provided most 2016 signees with a chance to breathe a sigh of relief and relax. After all, the stress of the recruiting process was officially in the rear view.

Beau Bisharat did not have that luxury.

His father Charlie went in for heart surgery on Feb. 4, while the ink on Beau's letter of intent with Colorado was still drying. Complications following his dad's operation provided some stressful days for the Bisharat family.

“He had some hiccups with it. He was bleeding internally so they had to go back in and operate on him a few days after the initial surgery,” Beau recapped. “They kept him in the ICU (Intensive care unit) for a really long time, almost a week. It is hard when you see your dad, who is supposed to be the strongest guy in the family, in pain and hooked up to tubes.

“It has been extremely difficult but my dad finally got to come home this week and he is recovering. The staff at Colorado has been super supportive, calling me and my parents every day, just making sure everything is going smooth. Recruiting wise things have obviously stopped, which has been nice.”

Bisharat, a four-star athlete prospect from Carmichael (Calif.) Jesuit, initially thought he was going to avoid the emotional roller-coaster ride the recruiting process often becomes. He verbally committed to Stanford last May and stopped communication with all other colleges.

But on Jan. 18, less than two weeks before signing day, the Cardinal informed Bisharat he was no longer in their plans. Although he was stunned by the news, Bisharat did not waste any time. He immediately let other colleges know he was back on the market. The 48-hours after Bisharat announced he was no longer Stanford bound were “insane,” he said.

“My phone was ringing at all times of the night, all times of the day. It didn't matter what time it was, it was basically like a frenzy,” he added. “It really was crazy but I was thankful for all the other schools that were still into me and into wanting to recruit me. I had no shortage of options.”

With time for just two official visits, Bisharat ended up taking a trip to Arizona State, where his older sister attends college, and he also checked out Colorado. What sold him on the idea of visiting Boulder?

“Colorado was my second offer back when I was a sophomore so they had been in the picture for an extremely long time,” Bisharat explained. “[Buffs offensive line] coach [Klayton] Adams told me, 'Here is the deal, if you come and don't like it, I'll wish you good luck and you won't have to talk to me again. But if you do like it, then we can talk business.' I said, 'I'll do it.'

“Colorado's coaches were willing to come off the road during the week and have me visit then since I wasn't going to take a visit during the final weekend before signing day. So I went out on a Wednesday and spent two days there. The level of want they had for me really stood out. That was probably the biggest thing.”

Nebraska, Alabama and Michigan were among the countless other programs that stayed in contact with Bisharat up until signing day. He admits he thought about waiting until after signing day to decide because it would have allowed him an opportunity to take more trips.

“I ended up deciding all those schools that were coming in late were coming in too late. I didn't know most of their staffs. For them, it was like, 'Hey, this kid is open, so lets try to get him.' I didn't really want to go to a school where I hadn't developed a strong relationship with the staff,” Bisharat said.

He stopped considering all of the colleges that came after him late, as well as Arizona State. Bisharat's two finalists ended up being Colorado and Cal. Growing up in Northern California, Bisharat had been by to see the Golden Bears numerous times unofficially.

“I was actually back and forth with it, minute to minute pretty much,” he said. “I originally thought I was definitely going to go to Cal. I told my dad I was going to call [Golden Bears head coach] Sonny [Dykes] to commit but I just didn't have to guts to do it. So we waited around a little bit longer and kept analyzing Cal and Colorado, trying to figure out which would be a better fit. We decided Colorado was the best fit.”

On the eve of signing day, Bisharat called up the Buffaloes' coaches and gave them the good news.

“There was a lot of screaming and a lot of joy. People were happy. I could hear the whole office screaming,” he said. “It was a good time and I am happy that is where I have landed. I think it is a great fit and I think I'll be happy and do well there.”

Bisharat admits one of the main reasons Colorado landed him is because the Buffaloes recruited him to play running back, while Cal projected him as a linebacker. He had previously eliminated Oregon, his father's alma mater, because the Ducks were recruiting him for defense.

“There were other schools that wanted me to play running back but I feel I have a good chance to come and contribute right away at Colorado,” he said. “I like what they do offensively and I think I fit their style pretty well. I can catch the ball out of the backfield and all that.”

During his signing day press conference, Buffaloes head coach Mike MacIntyre confirmed they see him fitting in on offense. Bisharat measured in at 6-foot-1.25, 211-pounds on his official visit to Colorado, which will make him the Buffs' tallest and heaviest running back when he arrives on campus this June.

“That's what we have always see him as, as a running back,” MacIntyre said. “He is different than all our [current running backs], all our guys are smaller in stature. He is a big dude now. He's powerful and he can run and he has speed so I'm excited about the dynamic that he will bring to us.”

A three-year varsity starter at Jesuit, Bisharat averaged 10.1 yards per carry while racking up a total of 4,130 yards on the ground. He also had 834 yards receiving out of the backfield and scored a total of 49 touchdowns during his prep career. An ankle injury hampered Bisharat throughout much of his senior season, but he still earned first-team all-metro and all-league honors.

Bisharat has been described as a “pounder.” He is not afraid of contact between the lines.

“I can pound. I can do quite a few things. I think Colorado sees that. That is one of the reasons they were so intrigued when I came back on the market. They hopped on as quick as possible,” he said.

While running around and over Pac-12 defenders the next four years, Bisharat plans to pursue a Business degree at Colorado.