Skip to main content

Report: Dorial Green-Beckham likely headed to Eastern Illinois

Former Missouri wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham appears to be on the verge of transferring to FCS program Eastern Illinois.

Green-Beckham, who was dismissed from the Tigers' football team April 11, "will likely transfer" to Eastern Illinois, 247sports.com reported Tuesday.

If he does transfer to EIU, he would be eligible to play for the Panthers immediately. He also will be eligible for the 2015 NFL Draft as a third-year college player.

Green-Beckham, who was the nation's No. 1 high school recruit in the class of 2012, was dismissed by Mizzou coach Gary Pinkel a day after prosecutors decided not to charge him in a burglary investigation that followed his alleged unlawful entry into an apartment while searching for his girlfriend.

Green-Beckham (6-foot-6, 225 pounds) has had past issues, too.

He was suspended for Missouri's game vs. Vanderbilt as a freshman in 2012 after being arrested on suspicion of marijuana possession, and he was arrested on Jan. 10 in Springfield, Mo. -- where he went to high school -- on a drug charge after police discovered a pound of marijuana in a friend's vehicle during a routine traffic stop.

While off-field issues led to his dismissal from Missouri's team, Green-Beckham has been productive -- he led Mizzou with 59 receptions and had 883 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2013.

Former Eastern Illinois quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is expected to be a second-round pick in this year's draft, and Green-Beckham's presence on the team would mean NFL scouts would follow the Panthers closely again in 2014.

But Green-Beckham's character issues mean there's a red flag -- and that flag is waving briskly.

Former Panthers coach Dino Babers left for Bowling Green after the 2013 season, and he was replaced by Kim Dameron, who spent last season as the defensive coordinator at Louisiana Tech.

Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.