by BILL WAGNER Staff Writer , The Capital

As a freshman, Beavers was angered after head coach Mike Drass switched him from quarterback to wide receiver and threatened to transfer.

"I went to Wesley to play quarterback and three days into preseason practice they wanted me to move," Beavers recalled. "I was real mad and was ready to pack up and leave."

Assistant coach Shawn Plews, a Chesapeake High graduate and former standout tight end at Wesley, talked Beavers out of it.

"Coach Plews was like, 'You got the speed, you got the hands. Receiver is a good fit for you.' Coach Plews convinced me to stay and give it a chance," Beavers said.

Speed bump No. 2 came in 2006 when Beavers was dismissed from school due to poor grades. The Annapolis resident called his mother and told her he was coming home. Caroline Beavers told her son that was fine if he was willing to attend Arundel Community College.

"My mom wasn't about to let me just quit school," he said.

Beavers wound up staying in Dover and attending Delaware Tech to earn enough credits to re-enroll at Wesley.

"I give Larry a lot of credit. He went through a rough patch academically and it would have been easy to hang it up and find a job," Drass said. "Larry had a desire to continue playing football so he did what he needed to do to get back."

Those decisions proved wise as Beavers became one of the most prolific performers in Wesley College history and a professional prospect. The 2004 Annapolis High graduate will get a chance to continue a storybook career after signing a free agent contact with the

Panthers shortly after conclusion of the NFL Draft.

"It's like a dream come true. It hit me last night that I'm getting a shot in the NFL. It's a great opportunity and I plan to make the most of it," Beavers said.

Beavers caught the attention of NFL scouts by setting an NCAA record for all divisions with 13 returns for touchdown. The 5-foot-11, 178-pound speedster scored on 10 kickoff returns and three punt returns.

Beavers set Atlantic Central Football Conference career records with 5,373 all-purpose yards and 41 touchdowns. He led Division III with a phenomenal kickoff return average of 39.5 yards and ranked among the national leaders with a punt return average of 29 yards.

"Larry has all the attributes you look for in a return man. He is absolutely fearless and hits the seam at full speed," Drass said.

Carolina was one of four franchises that needed to find a dual return specialist this off-season. Kansas City drafted Quinten Lawrence (McNeese State) in the sixth round to fill that role, leaving Cincinnati, Carolina and Indianapolis as the primary suitors for Beavers.

Carolina came very close to drafting Beavers after spending significant time scouting the youngster. Panthers general manager Marty Hurney initially evaluated Beavers at the University of Delaware Pro Day then sent a regional scout to Dover to conduct an individual workout. Drass knew Carolina was serious when special teams coordinator Danny Crossman showed up to personally interview the prospect.

Ryne Robinson returned punts and kickoffs for Carolina in 2007, but suffered a severe knee injury during training camp prior to last season. Mark Jones replaced Robinson and performed well for the Panthers in 2008, so well he signed as a free agent with the Tennessee Titans during the off-season.

Basically, Beavers will be battling Robinson for the return role and Ulrich thinks his client offers a significant upgrade in that department.

"Larry is a natural at returning kicks. He has a lot of things you can't teach, such as vision, instincts and an ability to make people miss," Ulrich said. "Of course, the fact he has blazing speed is a major plus.

Indeed, Beavers ran the 40-yard dash in less than 4.4 seconds every single time he was timed by a scout. Beavers has been a track and field standout since his days at Annapolis High and qualified for the NCAA Division III Championships in both the 100- (10.6) and 200-meter (21.6) dashes this outdoor season.

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