Beason pulling for Morgan, fellow Miami U linebackers

Penn State might be known as Linebacker U, but Miami has also had its share of stars at that position. And the Carolina Panthers' Jon Beason is taking advantage of the part he's played in that Hurricanes lineage.

Beason, the Panthers' second-year middle linebacker and one of the NFL's rising stars at that position, said Tuesday he stays in touch and talks football with other former Miami linebackers, most notably Ray Lewis and former Panther Dan Morgan.

Beason said he'd love to see Morgan, who retired this year after a career plagued by concussions, return.

"He is so far beyond, so much better than everybody else with speed, knowledge, being athletic -- he could take three years off and still be better than anybody else," Beason said.

Beason said he spoke with Morgan on Monday and was planning on talking to him again Tuesday afternoon. "He's doing great," said Beason. "He wants to know what's going on. That's understandable. If he's injured or healthy, he'd want to be with us here right now."

The Panthers practice once today, at 3:10 p.m. We'll have more updates after that.

(blogs.charlotte.com)