BRL: Interview With Former Louisville WR Doug Beaumont

Doug Beaumont, a native of Louisville, played high school football for Louisville Male High School. Coming out of high school, he was given a three-star rating by 247 Sports. He received offers from both the major programs in the state of Kentucky, the Cardinals and the Wildcats, but ended up choosing Louisville over Lexington.

As a former standout for the Louisville program, Big Red Louie had the chance to ask him several questions about why he chose Louisville, former memories he made at Louisville, his reaction to the Wake Forest game, and what he thinks about the future of the program:

Q: How Did You End Up Committing To Louisville?

A: “I chose Louisville as they were excelling in football. They had just gone to the Gator Bowl and were going into the season as a top school. At the time Coach Petrino had a top notch offense that I wanted to be a part of. Coach Nord, my recruiter, really made me feel wanted, and what set me over the edge was when Louisville played the University of Miami, Florida and beat them 31-7. After seeing them beat a powerhouse like Miami, I knew I wanted to be a part of something like that.”

Q: Was Louisville Your First Choice To Play At The Collegiate Level?

A: “Louisville became my first choice to play at. Kentucky was my first offer but I didn’t see myself going there. I did attend a recruiting event at Notre Dame and I told myself if they offered me, I would have loved to go there, but Louisville always made me feel welcomed and treated me like I would be their top guy. That’s why I always looked at them as my top choice.”

Q: As A Hometown Kid, Did You Have A Favorite Player On The Cardinals You Liked Watching Growing Up?

A: “Being a shorter receiver I always looked up to the little guys on Louisville’s teams. So growing up I was always a fan of Arnold Jackson and Deion Branch. I saw myself being able to be them, and watch them excel at a high level. When Deion went on and became an NFL Super Bowl MVP, that was something I always looked up to and vision in my career.”

Q: What Is One Of Your Favorite Moments To Look Back On As A Player At Louisville?

A: “I dealt with a lot of adversity at Louisville. We didn’t have the best seasons my first three years so it was tough at times. One thing that a lot of fans know is I didn’t score until my senior year. I have the majority of the receptions on the team but could never get in the endzone. So a special moment for me was when I scored my first touchdown in front of my home crowd. The place erupted when they realized it was me. Coach Strong was the coach at the time and he was upset at me because my celebration wasn’t long enough. He wanted me to do more, but I would have to say that was one of my favorite moments.”

Q: Did You Have Any Specific Team You Hated Playing Against The Most?

A: “I was never a fan of Kentucky, I feel like that is a given, but also West Virginia. We did not like playing West Virginia, between their fans and just battling against them, that was a team I did not like to play.” 

Q: What Do You Think Of The Wide Receiver Corps Louisville Has This Year?

A: “This Wide Receiver team reminds me of the team I had my sophomore season. We had just lost two big players, Harry Douglas and Mario Urrutia and in the offseason Trent Guy, Scott Long and Jajuan Spillman got hurt. So players had to step up. This is what I am seeing with this year’s receivers since they lost Jordan Watkins and Tyler Harrell and were waiting on Braden Smith to return. Tyler Hudson has really stepped up and whenever Ahmari Huggins-Bruce has played he has helped the team too. It’s a receiving group that hasn’t had the most experience in bigger games but they have raised their level to compete each week.”

Q: It Seems Like Louisville Has Turned It Around Since The Boston College Game. Reports Say That The Players Held A Players Only Meeting After The Loss And It Really Unified The Group. Were You Ever Apart Of A Players Meeting? If So, Do The Captains Usually Lead It?

A: “I was a part of a players meeting. As I talked about earlier during my first three years at Louisville we had gone through adversity. So there were times where the captains of the team of the leaders of the position groups got the team together to speak. I was never the vocal person but people respected me on the team and knew I would show by my actions on the field. With our player meetings you could tell a difference in the next game but sometimes players just don’t see eye to eye with a coach and that hinders the team. That is why it didn’t work out with Coach Kragthorpe.”

Q: What Was Your Reaction When Louisville Put Together Arguably The Best Quarter In Louisville Football History Against Wake Forest? Did It Bring Back Any Memories When You Were In College?

A: “When I watched the Wake Forest game and saw that third quarter, it was unbelievable. Like nothing could go wrong for them. That was an amazing game to see and at one point I was more like is this real? I remember playing NC State and they had Russel Wilson at QB. It was a battle but we were getting everything our way. Spectacular catches, fumbles, interceptions. We walked away with a win because on that day everything was going well for us.”

Q: What Do You Think The Final Record Is Going To Be At The End Of The Regular Season With Clemson, NC State, And Kentucky Left?

A: “I obviously hope for the best for Louisville and hope they win out the rest of the season, but I believe if they can win two of the last three, people will be excited. Clemson has come off a tough loss so they will be fired up as they play at home and have been undefeated since 2016, but I do believe Louisville can beat NC State and Kentucky. It has definitely been an up and down season, but I hope it ends on a high note.”