After beginning his career at Western Kentucky in 2018 and transferring from Minnesota last year, West Virginia cornerback Beanie Bishop Jr. led the nation in passes defended and became WVU’s 13th consensus All-American.
However, as a sixth-year senior, Bishop notes that his path was not entirely smooth yet he is grateful for where he’s at.
“Started at a small school, was under-recruited, small kid, a lot of coaches didn’t really believe in me coming out of high school and I just played with a chip on my shoulder and I just been blessed by God,” Bishop said.
“Everybody’s path is different, I have a few friends in the NFL. Some went in three years, some guys went in four. Mine is just taking me a little longer. I don’t really try to compare myself to other guys and things like that so just being able to be myself and let my game speak.”
Bishop caught the Mountaineers’ eyes in his time at WKU as they recruited him before he transferred to Minnesota.
“He’s about the right things. He came here as a guy, that was a sixth-year player, had been to a stop previously that didn’t go the way it was planned. We’d recruited him the year before and really wanted him and finally got him here. And when he came he had a blue-collar mentality the entire time,” West Virginia co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach ShaDon Brown said of Bishop.
Bishop fit right in with West Virginia and quickly made an impact in a place he felt comfortable.
“Everyone here believed in me or else I wouldn’t be here. Coach ShaDon (Brown) you know he coached me real hard, didn’t let me get complacent,” Bishop said.
Bishop accepted an invitation to the East-West Shrine Bowl in hopes of displaying his talents in front of NFL scouts, but is also looking forward to West Virginia’s matchup against North Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.
“I’m a competitor and I want to be able to come back and look at the Dukes Mayonnaise Bowl trophy whenever I come back,” Bishop said. “I want to help us win a game.”
