Western Kentucky defensive back Beanie Bishop is transferring to Minnesota. Tulane, Miami (OH), and Old Dominion are among other schools that expressed interest in his services. The 5’10”, 175-pound Louisville native announced his commitment to Minnesota via Twitter on December 23. (Merry Christmas, Gopher fans!)
Bishop is the second defensive back that P.J. Fleck and company have nabbed from the transfer portal in the last eight days. Abilene Christian’s Ryan Stapp announced his transfer on December 15. With Justus Harris and Coney Durr graduating, and little experience behind them, Bishop and Stapp go a long way toward solidifying the backfield for the Gophers. In late November, many fans were expressing concern about how many young DBs might have to play in 2022, whether they were ready or not. Signing Stapp and Bishop should put those concerns to rest.
In 2021, Bishop was an All-Conference USA selection as a defensive back, and earned an Honorable Mention as a kick returner. He was also named C-USA Defensive Player of the Week after Western Kentucky’s win over Middle Tennessee. His stats this season: 42 tackles, four pass break-ups, three interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), and a forced fumble. He also returned 27 kicks, and his average of 24.4 yards is the 29th-best in FBS. He accomplished all of this on a streaky Western Kentucky team. The Hilltoppers won their opener, but followed that up with four straight losses. Then they went on a tear, winning seven games in a row. They won their division, and lost 49-41 to UTSA in the C-USA Championship.
Beanie Bishop played primarily in the slot at Western Kentucky, and will likely be one of two or three players competing for that starting spot in camp. He has two years of eligibility remaining.
