He's probably a bigger bullshitter than you think. The dude drops in via chopper when he wants to big time a kid, after all.

We still have a shot at Hendrix as well.

That's certainly been a recent point of emphasis on the recruiting trail. Hence the #MizzouMade hashtag on Twitter.

I will only support this movement if Earnest Ross uses hashtag #bitchmade.

LMAOLMAOLMAO

Because Mizzou:

If this is indeed true the Bowl games were fun while they lasted. :(

http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/...medium=twitter

Who cares about bowls, that's a truly shitty thing to do and anyone involved in a rape cover-up should be fired and criminally charged.

It's terrible and Alden should be fired. I'm sorry but I care about both. Athletes that had nothing to do with it might suffer. This is a bad deal, all around. :(

Jumping the gun a little bit aren't you, Chicken Little?

Dude its Mizzou, you really think this will end well?

Yeah, I'm not sure what Alden did incorrectly here.

If nothing bad happening to future MU athletics is what you mean by "well", then that would be my guess at this point. Anything could happen, but it's way too early to be calling on people to be fired or accepting the accusation that Mizzou should have done more.

Jameis Winston disagrees with you.

Sheesh some of you need to tap the brakes.

How many of these stories that get reported with an agenda in mind or are based off one sided POV's only to have material elements come to light later that change the way the whole thing's viewed have to come & go before we as a society quit jumping the gun to lynch everybody before all the facts out there?

Both MU responses indicate that's exactly what we should do.

No matter the hope is that justice is served.

I'm more worried about all the rape allegations that this school has had the last few years combined with Dixon and Washington. This stuff looks really bad but if the ****ers did cover it up they should be held accountable. And warpaint you're right its not far fetched to think someone has an agenda to bring Mizzou down. Cough*Arkansas *Cough.

What really breaks my heart though is the fact that she ended her life, thats tragic. :(

Just posted the following on PowerMizzou. I would advise everyone to read the responses from Mizzou and Chad Moller (which I would criticize in stressing that they are following Menu Courey's wish to not investigate, a misstep in my opinion) and not base your entire perception on the OtL story, which has some problems.

Yeah, I'm not sure what ESPN seems to feel should have been done here.

1) Health care professionals should NOT have reported it to anyone unless specifically requested to do so by the victim. That's basic HIPPA (and something you can find re: HIPPA with a five minute stint on Google). It doesn't matter that those health care professionals worked for MU Hospital and Clinics. Just because it is a university hospital does not mean it is treated any differently than if she had seen folks at a non-affiliated hospital. Medical privacy laws are medical privacy laws.

There seems to be an insinuation in the article that because the doctor who saw her works at an MU hospital, that doctor should have reported the rape allegations to the university administration as soon as it happened. That is an absurd insinuation. Title IX does not override a patient's right to privacy.

2) The administration has reached out to the parents about their wishes regarding an investigation. This is appropriate, in my opinion.

3) The main/most important connection to the athletic department is a vague diary entry in which she says she told Meghan Anderson she was raped. It doesn't say anything more about the circumstances of that or that she indicated it was another athlete that did it. It even mentions that she was glad with Anderson didn't ask any questions about it. Anderson says she doesn't remember being told Menu Courey had been raped,

Is Meghan Anderson telling the truth? Only she will ever actually know that, beyond a shadow of doubt. But this is the only point at which Missouri would have been obligated and authorized to begin an investigation while she still lived.

Now, if it comes out that Woodland told the coaching staff about this -
or that one of his teammates told the coaching staff about this - that's
a problem. I suspect if that was the case, we would have read about it
today.

Here's the ultimate thing: Rape might be something that happens on college campuses. It's a terrible thing and I know people who have been affected by it. People close to me and important to me. That doesn't mean we shouldn't ask the Athletic Department to try to find a way to be BETTER. To do more to prevent it and especially do more to ensure its student athletes are avoiding these types of situations and actions That is a reasonable expectation.

I don't think the AD is in the wrong here, based on what I currently know, in its handling of this situation. It didn't know about the allegations until after the fact, and it has not received a response in its query of the parents about their wishes in this case.

But it certainly needs to take a look at what they're doing and make sure the reforms enacted over the past few years in response to the problems with the tutor program and even Mike Dixon go far enough to address this issue."

New commitment this weekend:

Keyon Dilosa: 5.3 RR ** ATH who is going to play WR. He's a Texas kid and Missouri reached out to him last week. Sounds a little bit like a desperation add.

Good Lord. Desperation? With the size of our class? If they are offering a guy now, it's because they REALLY want him.

Ross wasn't any good either (until Rivals bumped up his stars).

Yep. We've got too many players as it is. We aren't taking someone we don't really want.

If they really wanted him, they probably would have contacted him before January 20th.

We just had a scholarship freed up a couple days ago.

A search warrant filed Jan. 23 in Greene County shows that the marijuana found during a traffic stop that led to Missouri wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham’s arrest did not belong to Green-Beckham.

According to the warrant, Patrick W. Prouty, 20, one of the men arrested along with Green-Beckham, told Springfield Police that he was the owner of a large container of suspected pot found when officers stopped a 1999 Jeep Cherokee driven by John W. McDaniel, 20, for an expired plate tab and then searched it after smelling marijuana.
McDaniel told police that a smaller container of marijuana, found in the glove box, was his, according to the warrant. Green-Beckham, 20, said that he smelled marijuana in the car when he got in but that he did not know where it was and that it was not his, according to the search warrant. He said he was in the car to get a ride to a friend’s house.
A copy of the warrant, which was used by police to search Prouty’s cell phone, was obtained Thursday by The Star.
Tyson J. Martin, an attorney for Green-Beckham, also said in a statement Thursday that Prouty admitted ownership of the marijuana, according to court documents.
“Throughout this entire investigation, Dorial has denied, and continues to deny any knowledge, or any connection with a large amount of suspected marijuana that was found in the back of a vehicle in which Dorial was a passenger,” Martin’s statement read in part. “As has been filed with the court in the form of search warrant returns, another occupant of the vehicle, Patrick Prouty admitted ownership of the marijuana. Additionally, a large amount of cash was also discovered in the pocket of Mr. Prouty, after he had refused to allow the officers to search him.
“Dorial has been nothing but completely cooperative with law enforcement throughout this entire process. Dorial very much regrets putting himself in this situation, and he is anxious to put this ordeal behind him. We are hopeful, in light of what this investigation has uncovered, that this matter will quickly be resolved in a positive manner for Dorial.”
The three men were arrested Jan. 10 on suspicion of distribution of a controlled substance, a felony, and were released the following morning. Springfield Police are still investigating the case and have not forwarded it to Green County prosecutors, who will determine if any of the men are charged. That process could take up to six months, according to police.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2014/01/30...#storylink=cpy

How can Mizzou have such a great season with great resources not even field a top 25 recruiting class?

Most of the class was set. The real payoff should happen next season, as long as Mizzou continues to have success.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/footballrecr...-Murphy-151293

Is Mizzou in on this guy yet? Nixa RB, Class of 2015, good build and speed. Illinois and Iowa have already offered, but he said he wants to be in the SEC.

I don't believe he's actually from Missouri. That may be a harder pull than we think. Wouldn't surprise me if he ended up at Arkansas or Ole Miss.

I'm not too familiar with Mizzou's roster. Is there even a RB need in that class? Also, he does seem like the type of RB Bret Obesema wants in his offense. I just want him to avoid the wrath of AIRBHG.

Im glad TAMU is not having to wait. Just pulled their 7th top-200 player in the 2015 class. Looking good for a few more top-100 guys. Didn't think it could get better than the 2014 class. Sumlin is amazing at this recruiting thing.

Missouri keeps offering more 2*'s late in the process, but I'm sure it's just because they love them.

One positive note is that Thomas Wilson got a significant bump up to a 5.7. He's now the 27th ranked ATH. A little slight to be a safety, but perhaps he's a corner in the future.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Congratulations to Sheldon Richardson! 2013 Defensive Rookie of the Year! <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23NFLHonors&amp;src=hash">#NFLHonors</a> <a href="http://t.co/4GYjElYmgH">pic.twitter.com/4GYjElYmgH</a></p>&mdash; NFL (@nfl) <a href="https://twitter.com/nfl/statuses/429756282653118464">February 1, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Man, he would have been awesome as a Chief.

Yeah but god we really needed an offensive tackle instead of a good player.

Isn't that 2 in the last 3 years? Didn't Aldon Smith win it a couple of years ago?

Safe pick!

Value!

Can't take someone at No. 1 with warts or someone who won't play right away!

With the exception of a few (mostly Mizzou fans), Chiefsplanet would have been just as upset with a 1.1 defensive lineman.

Anything besides a quarterback was going to be hated.. and rightfully so.

Yeah, MOST swallowed the "safe" mentality, which I think is b.s.

If you're drafting first overall, you better take somebody who has the upside to be a major impact player. If you take an OT, he better be someone who projects out as a Walter Jones/Orlando Pace/Jon Ogden/etc. type.

With hindsight, you should be able to recognize that that's wrong. Sheldon Richardson would have been a very good pick though.

The butthurt wouldn't of lasted long when Richardson hit the field.

I'm sure him being a St. Louis native/Mizzou product would have helped, too.

All the folks that think Aaron Crow is terrible because he's a Mizzou Hall of Famer and proud of it would have a really hard time with that.

Sadly, there are more of them than there should probably be.

Yes, sir. Unfortunately Mizzou will somehow fail to capitalize on this. As you can tell I am a true fan of the Tigers.

While this is a small sample size, I'm going to disagree with you because the hour is late.


http://www.chiefsplanet.com/BB/showthread.php?t=272024

I remember you and O.city both calling for Richardson, but I'll stand by what I said. The loudest voices of CP and their me too men would have panned another top of the draft defensive lineman after the history of Sims, Dorsey, Jackson, et al. Your Sheldon thread really only shows that there would have been pockets of support, IMO.

That's probably true.

This is inaccurate.

The Dorsey selection was widely loved on CP because he was viewed as an elite talent. On the other hand, Jackson was a poor pick because he hadn't produced at an elite level on the field. Similarly, Poe was someone who didn't dominate at a low level of college football.

I don't think there were any reservations about Richardson's talent level; he's rare in this respect. The problem, at least to me, was that he quit on Mizzou during a tough season, and when he was needed most, he backed out. And there's no way I would have selected a quitting bitch, which is what he was (and possibly still is), at 1/1.

It's reductive argumentation to claim that people would have panned the pick simply because of his position. Yes, some idiots would have. But "the loudest voices" on CP are, often, a bit too knowledgeable about football to make this type of mistake.

We'll have to agree to disagree then, because I think you're wrong about what the loudest voices would have done and wrong about how knowledgeable they are.

That's fine. Depends whom we're labeling as the "loud" ones. I think some of those individuals do know a thing or two, and then there are those who hover around the margins, pick up upon a particular angle, and then scream it from the roof tops, with no real grasp about the issue at all.

It's these folks who generally make things insufferable.

Damn it, don't bring this up. The wounds are too fresh.

Seriously though, while had we taken him our defense would have been improved IMO against the elite qb that beat us, we'd be in a dilemma I guess at lt this offseason.

Oh well, elite 3-4 de prospects like Sheldon who can stop the run and rush the passer from the 3 tech grow in trees right?

I'm not sure I would have taken Big Shel either, but I sure as hell didn't want Geno freaking Smith.

I probably would have gone OT, as that seemed to be where the best talent was at the top of the draft. It appears I could have been wrong, though.

I wanted Sheldon. I really wanted Kenny Vaccaro. Imagine this defense with Vaccaro instead of Lewis.

I don't remember anyone, save Sorter, pounding the drum for that quitting bitch, but it's clear in hindsight that this should have been the selection.

I really am glad we were able to get the best player in the "worst draft class of all time".

Ahem.


(Raises hand)

I got in debates with you and DJLN over the subject of Richardson last year.

MU gets in early on southeast players
Finding players sooner benefits MU in Southeast.

By DAVID MORRISON
Sunday, February 2, 2014 at 2:00 am

http://www.columbiatribune.com/sport...04b9f1ff4.html

For a little more than four months, Tavon Ross held only one scholarship offer from a major-conference school: Missouri.

So, for that period of time, things were pretty simple for Ross, the 6-foot-1, 200-pound athlete who starred at quarterback and safety for Bleckley County High School in Cochran, Ga.

If he wanted to play at a Southeastern Conference school, Missouri was his only choice.

"The kids down here grow up dreaming of playing in the SEC," said Woody Wommack, Southeast recruiting analyst for Rivals.com.

Since the new year started, Ross' recruitment has gotten a little more complicated.

Georgia, which is a little more than a two-hour drive from Ross' home, offered. Miami followed. So did Alabama.

Ross, who had been committed to Missouri since late August, suddenly had more to consider.

He's on a visit to Missouri this weekend — the final one before national signing day on Wednesday — after visiting Georgia and Miami over the past couple of weeks.

"I don't know if a Georgia or Miami or Alabama had hit him at the same time" as Missouri "if he would have had any interest in Missouri," Bleckley County Coach Tracy White said. "But he's a great kid, he's loyal, he's appreciative of what Missouri did for him that early. It's going to be hard for somebody to steer him away from that."

Ross' case is emblematic of the challenges Missouri is facing as it shifts more of its recruiting focus to the Southeast, as well as a glimpse of the strategy the Tigers are using to try and counterbalance the deficiencies they face being new players in the region.

Schools such as Georgia, Florida, Alabama, South Carolina and Auburn still have a considerable edge in name recognition with high-school prospects in the Southeast.

But, Missouri wagers, if it can make its pitch to under-the-radar recruits before the more established schools come knocking, the Tigers have a fighting chance.

"They're doing a nice job with scouting and evaluation," Wommack said. "We've seen that, obviously, with how their team performed this year. A lot of those guys weren't highly ranked by us. It just shows the coaching staff is identifying players that fit the system."

According to Rivals.com's database, Missouri has offered 36 prospects from Florida and 35 Georgia recruits from the Class of 2014. Those represent increases in similar numbers from the Tigers' recruiting in the Class of 2013, their first as an SEC member: 23 from Florida, 21 from Georgia.

Missouri is also landing more players from the two states in this recruiting cycle, with five Florida commitments and three from Georgia. The Tigers had one signee from each state last year.

Wommack said that's partly a function of Missouri's staff continuing to strengthen relationships with players and coaches in the Southeast.

A 12-2 season that included a win over Florida, at Georgia, an SEC Championship Game appearance and a No. 5 final national ranking doesn't hurt either.

"Winning seems to aid positively in a lot of ways," North Gwinnett High School Coach Bob Sphire said. "It's a no-brainer the success they had this year has created a positive image."

But Sphire is also a big proponent of the personal touch in recruiting. Sphire's program is a perennial state-championship contender in Georgia's largest classification, not to mention a frequent donor of recruits to big-time programs.

Sphire said he's been impressed with the way Missouri safeties coach Alex Grinch, who scouts Georgia for the Tigers, has recruited his athletes.

"When Alex walks in our office, he's up to date on what's going on with our program. It's not like he's walking in blind," Sphire said. "I get a lot of recruiters that will walk into my office, sit down across the desk from me, look me in the eye and say, 'Hey, Coach. What kind of year did you have?' I want to literally throw them out of my office."

Grinch scored a bit of a coup at North Gwinnett in September, securing a commitment from wideout Nate Brown.

At that point in the season, Brown was a prospect that a number of big programs were sniffing around but hadn't offered.

The 6-3, 215-pound receiver went on to catch 61 passes for 1,041 yards and 21 touchdowns this season for the Bulldogs, and the offers came rolling in.

Thanks. But no thanks.

"I think if" Missouri "hadn't gotten in early, they wouldn't have gotten him," Sphire said. "Because they showed a keen eye with Nate, combined with the personal approach they've had, they got their hooks into him. As other schools made runs at Nate after Missouri had gotten their hooks in, Nate deflected all that away from him."

Not every recruit will be as unmovable as Brown.

While White said Ross doesn't exactly have a "dream school," the lure of playing so close to home at Georgia is still attractive.

The same goes for defensive end Rocel McWilliams from West Florida Tech, who recently had Florida enter the derby after being committed to Missouri since April.

McWilliams, at 6-3, 240 pounds, visited Missouri last weekend and Florida the week before. He'd relish the chance to play at an SEC school in his home state, West Florida Tech Coach Harry Lees said.

But, like Ross and Brown, McWilliams also feels an allegiance to Missouri because it was first in the door. He also has two former high school teammates — defensive tackle Nate Crawford and kicker Luke Jackson — currently on the Tigers' roster, and another — wideout Lawrence Lee — committed for this year's class.

"Nate's probably his best friend, and — just the way they've treated Nate and the way Nate feels things are going over there and the coaches are going to do exactly what they said — I think that goes a long way," Lees said. "Rocel, all he wants is a chance with people that are going to be loyal to him."

Just two classes into its time in the Southeastern Conference, Missouri has already started to carve out a niche in new recruiting territory by identifying high-priority targets early in the process and catching rising prospects before the rise.

As the years go on — and if the on-field product keeps pace — the task should only get easier, Wommack said.

"We should see them, next year, really have the chance to capitalize on this success and sell it," Wommack said. "They're on the map now, and this is the time to really capitalize on that momentum."

Looks like McWilliams will sign with Mizzou (over Florida). It also looks like Mizzou will hang on to Ross, over Alabama and Georgia.

Source?

Pretty sure it's PowerMizzou.

Sorry, it's various folks on PowerMizzou (although not necessarily "official" PowerMizzou).

Signing day fellas, let's see how we come down the finish line.

Word is that Florida is not sending him a letter of intent, which means he can't commit to them. They must feel pretty good about landing Lorenzo Carter.

Excited about Ross

Also nice to see Blair flip to us

Big-time athlete.

Not sure what Georgia was doing early with him. Size and speed pop out pretty clearly.

But Georgia also thought Nate Brown was too slow, based on camp performances (and didn't notice that the guy is never caught from behind in game action, despite playing in what I understand is one of the toughest high school conferences in America).

And now we flip Spencer Williams. I think he's a nice get.

They apparently wanted him more than either Vincent Jackson or Sherieff Rhaheed, two guys I thought looked like pretty good prospects and who at one time or another had major interest in Mizzou, only to have the staff cool on contact. Especially Jackson.

Probably a good sign.

This is going to be a pretty typical Pinkel class. A few high-talent guys who probably make the two deep immediately (Andy Bauer, Nate Brown, Tavon Ross, notably). And a lot of guys who will go into the program, spend some time in development, and eventually make some form of solid contribution down the road.

They REALLY need to capitalize in the 2015 class. Lot of local DL talent (Terry Beckner of East St. Louis, the Davis twins at Blue Springs) that is actually fairly similar to the amount of in-state OL talent in the current class.

Also, it's going to pretty critical they land a QB who can be a starter in the next class. Drew Lock is definitely that, and all early indications on him are promising.

Waiting for Poona.

Rivals' servers are junk.

Still trying to figure out the hate for Coach Grinch. The guy is doing really well in new areas in the southeast.

Guy with no track record, limited background, who in year 1 signs 0 players and happens to be the nephew of the head football coach?

Being skeptical of that guy doesn't seem out of line in the slightest. Glad he has proven the doubters (including myself) wrong.

Thought we might be able to pull Poona (snicker), but he went to Texas.

Yup, he was the only late miss, IMO. Wallace was the huge miss for this class.

Wallace takes this class to another level.

Wallace/Bauer/Adams would be probably the best incoming OL trio Mizzou has signed.

It's a solid, fairly typical class for Mizzou (which is something that probably shouldn't be taken lightly considering where they started from this year).

Next year's class will be pretty critical.

I'm sure there will be a backlash.

It could have been much better, but it could have been worse, too. Flipping Williams at the end helps make up for the loss of Jonathan Williams, but it sure would have been nice to get Dante Sawyer. I'm glad that they were able to add another big bodied WR in Blair, but the misses on the OL really hurt.

I'm just trying to imagine keeping the OL talent in-state. Wallace, Bauer, and Roderick Johnson. That would likely give Missouri one of the best lines in the country in a few years and allow them to run almost any type of set.

Signing Day thoughts:

Best position Group:

Raymond Wingo and Logan Cheedle are probably the best duo of CBs signed in one class by Mizzou. Really like both of these guys. Good size/speed/skill combos. Finis Stribling IV has a cool name but is probably just program depth.

The real keys to the secondary class come in amongst the projected safeties, where Tavon Ross, Greg Taylor and Thomas Wilson provide probably the best safety class Mizzou has signed. Ross and Taylor have the size/speed combos you want to see out of SEC safeties.

Runner-up: WRs
Nate Brown is a well-known guy who spurned late offers from Georgia and South Carolina to become a Tiger. He's a bigger, physical receiver who was thought to be too slow after working out at UGA camps... but when you watch his highlights - facing some of the best competition in the US - you see a WR who is never caught from behind. Plays for a traditional powerhouse program.

Lawrence Lee is an overlooked WR who has good speed and elusiveness and projects to the slot. Also plays HS ball for a strong traditional program.

Signing Day flip DeShaun Blair is also a big receiver and looks to have the elusive deep speed you often get from tall guys with long strides. Nice hands and fluid athlete.

Thomas Richard is a good all-around athlete who is close friends with Nate Brown. Also a very productive HS receiver.

Darnell Green (who apparently does not have Beckham legally attached to the end of his name) is a major project. If he fully recovers from his chemo and fully regains his strength and speed, DGB's little brother could end up being a MAJOR diamond, a 6-5 WR with deep speed and great leaping ability.

Offensive line
St. Louis' Andy Bauer (guard who likely cracks the early two deep) and Tennessee's Paul Adams headline a deep group that has quantity, if not star quality. Always a tough position to project, it's nice to see them taking a deep class at OL. Given Pinkel's track record, it's likely that one of Sam Bailey (2-star, Lamar, MO), Michael Fairchild (2-star, Blue Valley West) or Kevin Pendleton (3-star, Lee's Summit West) is a solid OL starter for Mizzou at some point. My early money is on Bailey.

Best of the rest

Brandon Lee is a very nice LB prospect who was highly recruited and could become a sideline-to-sideline monster. Good size and speed.

DE Rocel McWilliams got late interest from Florida and was an early (he committed at the 2013 spring game) offer/commit by this staff. He might play early for Mizzou out of necessity, but he does have quality size (6-4/240) already.

DE Spencer Williams was another late flip. He's got that rangy 6-5/6-5 frame the Tiger coaches seem to target so frequently, and pairs it with pretty good athleticism and first step, from what tape is available. Mizzou jumped in on him over Vincent Jackson and Sharieff Rhaheed, two more highly recruited DE types.

RBs
Mizzou's earliest commitment was from St. Louis's Markel Smith, who wavered, decommitted, and ending up settling for a lesser offer. In his place, the Tigers take two guys who fit their system, Trevon Walters and Ish Witter. Witter is a Russell Hansbrough clone. Walters is more of a complete back whose role in the offense will likely be more like a traditional RB than a scatback.

Leftovers
There are 7 more signees. They include QB Marvin Zanders (who seems destined to flip to the defesnive side of the ball, either at LB or S), a project TE in Blue Springs' Kendall Blanton, some project athletes (DE/LB/TE Grant Jones, WR/S Keyon Dilosa, DE Walter Brady, LB Rod Winters.

Final thoughts
I like the aggressiveness in signing a big class and hope it is a sign of things to come. Diamond-in-the-rough hopefuls like Grant Jones, Walter Brady, Rod Winters, Sam Bailey are much easier to take a risk on when they are signees 25-28 rather than 15-18.

I think this class does have two very painful "guys who got away" in St. Louis OT Brian Wallace (arkansas) and Michigan DE Jhonny Williams (Notre Dame). With Williams, his family issues made him a tough keep once nearly-hometown Notre Dame got involved. He's a freak athlete who could explode in college with proper development. Wallace was a Mizzou lean for a long-time, but a final visit to Arkansas swayed him to Fayetteville. Another tough loss, as Wallace had offers from everywhere and could have helped anchor a dominating OL class for Mizzou.

Look ahead

So what's next? 2015 is a key recruiting year. Some top targets:

DE Terry Beckner (East St. Louis). national-level recruit, likely a 5 star/top 50 player on every service. Likes Mizzou (and there are rumors he could be a junior day commit, which would be incredible)

RB Naterace Strong (East St. Louis). Top 250-type. Big-time athlete with good size.

DT Carlos Davis (Blue Springs). DT Khalil Davis (Blue Springs). These twins are also top 250-type talents. Great combo of size/speed/strength, and have been well-coached in Blue Springs pipeline. Nebraska looks to be biggest comp for them (though recent rumors of them committing after a visit up there thankfully have proven false, at least so far).

QB Drew Lock (Lee's Summit). Likely a top 100-250 recruit. Stud two-sport star (very high quality 2-guard prospect in basketball) with strong Mizzou family ties. Good ties to coaching staff.

TE Hale Hentges (Helias/Jeff City). Likely a top 100-250 recruit.Some view him as a DE. Probably the toughest in-state pull next year.

WR Alex Ofodile (Columbia Rock Bridge). Likely a top 100 recruit.AJ's son is a high-level athlete who is getting a ton of attention.

Sawyer is apparently headed to JUCO. Might be another battle for him in two years, thought I suspect they'll move on unless he just completely blows up.

Wallace and Jhonny Williams are painful misses.

I won't hassle them too much over losing Williams, as Notre Dame is a 30 minute drive from his home and his family needs him (believe his older brother is battling cancer and he and mom are the only two who can take him to the dr).

But Wallace? That one just hurts, a lot. He was a Mizzou lean for several weeks, but they didn't close the door, Arkansas slipped in, and the Hawgs managed to seal things up. Painful.

I know this sounds a bit irreverent, but I want guys who WANT to play for MU! I understand Williams decision because of the family situation, and believe that if not for that he would have stayed. They did a story on him in the local sports news after he flipped...he seemed like a genuine good kid not someone grabbing for glory.

Wallace....if he was that easily flipped was he really that committed?

Never committed. Was just a lean.

Was sold on Bielema's history of developing NFL OL/Joe Thomas when he went to Arkansas, apparently, and it changed his mind.

Sad thing is... he almost didn't make that trip because of bad weather, and it was the last weekend he could take an official visit before his announcement date at the Army Game. If they decide not to chance the drive, there's a decent chance Wallace sends his letter to Mizzou today instead.

But yes, Wallace is a good example of the St. Louis recruit who seems to be looking for the first good excuse to go elsewhere.

Hopefully, with Beckner and Strong, Missouri can start to change that perception.