Peterson: Iowa State football safety Beau Freyler is on a highway headed to stardom

AMES — Beau Freyler walked slowly from the Camping World Stadium turf to the locker room after Iowa State’s loss against Clemson in last season’s Cheez-It Bowl. He’d just played the game of his college life. No one on the Cyclones’ defense was better, though it came in a losing effort.

Like his teammates, the rookie safety was dejected. Like all the underclassmen, he wanted program-changing seniors Brock Purdy, Charlie Kolar, Mike Rose, Chase Allen, Enyi Uwazurike, Jake Hummel, Greg Eisworth and Colin Newell, among others, to end outstanding college careers on an emotional high. They deserved that for making Iowa State football nationally relevant.

It didn’t happen.

“My first reaction was obviously disappointment,” Freyler said Tuesday night. “This is a team sport. We lost a lot of great guys.”

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It took a while before Freyler allowed it to soak in, what that game meant personally. And what a game it was, with a game-best 15 tackles and a quarterback hurry during his first collegiate start. Once all that sunk in, and once the veterans had their senior moments in the postgame locker room, Freyler allowed himself to reflect on what he’d accomplished an hour or so earlier.

“I learned a lot from that game personally, and as a team,” he said Tuesday. “You know, it was a great learning experience.”

Cyclones football insiders, including coach Matt Campbell and a couple of Freyler's former teammates, predict the world for the 6-foot-2, 212-pounder from Colorado Springs. He’s a reason there was no alarm when Isheem Young (now Ole Miss), Craig McDonald (Auburn), Kym-Mani King (Florida A&M), and Jordyn Morgan (UNLV) entered the transfer portal after last season. Four lost safeties yet zero panic — because the Cheez-It Bowl star wasn’t among them.

"I would say elite young talent,” Campbell said last season when asked to describe Freyler. “He's a guy that's really mature. He’s a young player who (through rock-solid work habits) demanded us to play him. He's come in here with a sense of purpose.

“He’s really earned the right. We’re excited about him, where he's going, and certainly his future. We think he's got a chance to be really special."

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That was before the bowl game. That was Campbell’s observation from what he saw during practice, what he saw while walking past the safeties’ meeting room, and from Freyer’s weight-room diligence. It was before he replaced Young at the middle safety position for the bowl game.

“When he came into the program, I was like 'Wow, that's a good-looking freshman,'" Eisworth said at some point last season. “A big dude that can run fast. So now, it's just how fast can you learn the defense.”

Freyler asked questions. He picked as many brains as he could, and this included (and still does) position coach Deon Broomfield.

“He's very curious,” Broomfield said after practice Tuesday. “When you're curious like that, you get answers, and for him, he always wants to have an answer and have a plan for what he's trying to do.

“I encourage guys to speak up like that; there's no dumb question. He wants to know where everybody fits in the defense.”

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Curious minds want to know — especially a curious mind like Freyler’s. He’s a 4.0 student, majoring in kinesiology and health.

“Once he figures something out, he can roll,” Broomfield said. "That's the way it is with Beau."

Freyler’s snaps increased throughout the second half last season. Eventually, he was getting as much playing time as Young, if not more. Freyler’s competitive light flipped on. He was a star.

“I think it was just repetition,” Broomfield said. “He had plenty of reps during the bowl prep. That's what led to having the kind of end to the season that he had.”

Freyler was at the intersection of Preparation and Opportunity — on and off the field. He knew which way to go. He always knew which way he was headed.

“He's so advanced and so mature where, man, you know you don't have to worry about him,” Broomfield said. “Time management — he's on point. He has everything scheduled out.”

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I recall Breece Hall (remember him?) telling a story about hanging out at Freyler’s apartment about this time last year. Where’s Freyler?

Studying in his room. Of course.

“Just the way I was brought up,” Freyler said this week. “My mom's a teacher. She instilled (academics) in me at a young age. She really never had to push me. It just came naturally for me. I always wanted to do good in everything in life.”

So far, so good.

Iowa State columnist Randy Peterson embarked on his 50th year of writing sports for the Des Moines Register in December 2021. Reach him at rpeterson@dmreg.com, 515-284-8132, and on Twitter at @RandyPete.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Beau Freyler could be a star at safety for Iowa State football