Mizzou recruit is told not to go to Mizzou by current and former players!

[Saulbadguy]

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/mizzou/story/7E0923733FA05D2D86256F90001C9976?OpenDocument&Headline=MU+loses+its+top+recruit+in+football+to+Nebraska

[Saulbadguy]

The University of Missouri lost perhaps its top football recruit when Hazelwood East senior wide receiver Chris Brooks said on Thursday he plans to attend Nebraska next year instead of keeping his oral commitment to the Tigers.

Brooks said in April he would attend Missouri but had second thoughts, saying, "I just wasn't comfortable" during his official visit to Columbia on Dec. 10.

Brooks said after the visit he received phone calls from some current and former Tigers players who advised him against going to Mizzou.

On Thursday, Brooks said his lack of a relationship with Missouri coach Gary Pinkel was an important reason in his decision.

"In the end, (Missouri assistant coach Cornell) Ford did an excellent job of recruiting me, but all in all I felt I didn't have a relationship with Coach Pinkel," Brooks said. "I weighed out so many pros and cons and had a lot of sleepless nights, but I felt like I didn't know him.

"Out of my whole recruiting process I think I talked to Coach Pinkel twice on the phone and once or twice in person. I wasn't comfortable going into the university not knowing the head guy."

Under NCAA guidelines, Pinkel cannot comment on any aspect of the recruitment of Brooks. Coaches must wait until after a recruit signs a letter on intent before commenting.

Commitments are not binding until a recruit signs a letter of intent. The first day the letters can be signed for football is Feb. 2.

Brooks, who is 6 feet 4 and 190 pounds, is the No. 1 prospect in the Post-Dispatch Super 30 list and is rated as the second-best prospect in Missouri by Rivals.com.

Rivals lists Brooks as the 15th-best wide receiver prospect nationally. ESPN.com recruiting analyst Tom Lemming rates him as the 18th-best prospect at his position.

A three-year starter at Hazelwood East, Brooks caught 66 passes for 1,172 yards, an average of 17.8, and scored 14 touchdowns during his senior year. He broke school's single-season records for receptions and receiving yards.

"He's outstanding, one of the better wide receivers in the country," Lemming said. "Brooks is the kind of go-to receiver they've been looking for (at Nebraska), but haven't been able to get in this class. He's tall and has good hands. It's an excellent catch. I'm surprised he left Missouri, though."

Brooks' decision is a tough blow to the Tigers, who are coming off a 5-6 season and lost two key players when junior running back Damien Nash and junior defensive tackle C.J. Mosley declared for the NFL draft.

Brooks took official visits to Missouri and Nebraska, but also considered Illinois and Florida.

Brooks made his official visit to Nebraska on Dec. 17, a week after his trip to Missouri, and was wowed by the fan support for the program. "They just live and die by it," Brooks said.

The loss of Brooks leaves Missouri with just one high school recruit from the St. Louis area, Brentwood defensive back Hardy Ricks, and no wide receivers.

"I was caught in between a situation where I didn't know if (Nebraska coach Bill) Callahan would be there in two or three years or if Coach Pinkel would be there in two or three years," Brooks said. "I wanted a situation where I was more comfortable."

[Skip Towne]

Wow, current players telling him not to go to Mizzou!!

[Sure-Oz]

What the hell?? The Athletic dept must be ****ed up bad then.

[Mr. Kotter]

Wow, current players telling him not to go to Mizzou!!

No kidding... ROFL

[PastorMikH]

Missing out on a top recruit doesn't suprise me - MU's been missing out on them for years. The thing that does get me is that he recieved calls from current players. I can see calls from past players that are disgruntled, but players currently on the team should want to get more top talent to help all of them do better. Personally, if I were the coach, whichever player(s) placed the calls would be off my team.


Moreover, this tells me that the players last year gave up on Pinkel. Could explain the slide in the second half of the season.

[David.]

I HATE pinkel

[Sure-Oz]

Doesn't every fan?? Why don't they ditch this moron?

[David.]

I haven't the slightest idea. He's a complete ****tard.

[Skip Towne]

Nooooooo!! Keep Pinkel around. I really like him.

[PastorMikH]

Doesn't every fan?? Why don't they ditch this moron?



MU's athletic department hasn't been able to make a correct decision concerning the football program in 30 years.

[alanm]

In addition to this kid we also got Ndamukong Suh out of Oregon. One of the top DT's in the nation on the same day. :thumb: He's also rated as a 4 star on Rivals. On behalf of Husker fans across the nation we would like to thank Coach Pinkel for steering this kid to Nebraska. :)


NU snares Missouri receiver, Oregon d-lineman
BY STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star
He committed to Missouri last spring, fully intending to help Tigers football coach Gary Pinkel push his program upward.
In the ensuing months, however, Chris Brooks' relationship with Missouri soured. His official campus visit in December just didn't feel right, he said.

"When you boil it all down, I didn't really have a relationship with Coach Pinkel during the last two months," the wide receiver from St. Louis said Thursday.

Turns out, Missouri's loss became Nebraska's gain.
Brooks, saying he felt comfortable with Nebraska head coach Bill Callahan and defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove, reneged on his Missouri commitment and gave his verbal pledge to NU, the first of two significant commitments landed by the Huskers on Thursday.

Later in the day, Nebraska received a pledge from Ndamukong Suh, a 6-foot-4, 278-pound defensive tackle from Portland, Ore. Suh had pared his final list to NU and California.

Both Brooks and Suh are rated as four-star prospects in Rivals.com's five-star system.

They become the 25th and 26th players known to have committed to Nebraska's highly regarded 2005 scholarship recruiting class, which now includes nine four-star prospects and two-five star players.

In landing Brooks, Nebraska tapped Cosgrove's strong recruiting ties in the St. Louis area. As a 14-year assistant at Wisconsin, Cosgrove landed a slew of St. Louis players, perhaps most notably Terrell Fletcher, a standout running back; Jamar Fletcher, the 2000 Thorpe Award winner as the nation's outstanding defensive back; and defensive tackle Wendell Bryant, a two-time Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year.

Cosgrove and Callahan earned Brooks' trust.

"I felt comfortable talking to them about not only football, but also life after football," Brooks said. "Coach Cosgrove, he's just an easy-going guy. I felt I could communicate with him. He understands the background I came from, so I didn't have to hide anything."

Playing for Hazelwood East High School, the 6-3, 190-pound Brooks this season had more than 50 receptions for 1,100 yards and 15 touchdowns, said head coach Corey Johnson.

"Nebraska's getting a big receiver — a big, physical receiver," Johnson said. "Plus, he's exceptional at running intermediate and short routes and catching the ball across the middle."

Brooks made an official visit to Missouri on Dec. 10.

"It wasn't all I expected," he said. "I wasn't too comfortable in the city. The players I met were great — it was nothing they did. It just didn't feel right, and I felt like I was cheating myself."

A couple weeks later, Brooks visited the Nebraska campus with a Hazelwood teammate, defensive tackle Anthony Jackson. NU students were on break, and Brooks and Jackson were the only recruits on campus.

This visit felt good, Brooks said.

Brooks, who has a 10-month-old son, likes the thought of attending college close to home, close to family. He also relishes the chance of immediate playing time, though he's not taking it for granted.

"I think there's an opportunity for all of us to compete and grow as a unit," Brooks said. "Hopefully, we can join together and accomplish our goal of winning a national championship."

Rivals.com rates Brooks No. 15 among the nation's high school wideouts, while Suh is ranked No. 6 among defensive tackles.

"Nebraska's getting a physical specimen with an attitude — but it's the right kind of attitude," said Gary Thorson, head coach at Grant High in Portland. "Ndamukong plays with just the right amount of nastiness that you want."

Suh, who participated in last weekend's U.S. Army All-American Bowl, was named Oregon's defensive player of the year in a vote of coaches.

"At Nebraska, I really like the all-around family atmosphere," he said. "The players are really tight-knit, maybe because there's not much of a city there.

"But in a sense that's a good thing because it's more of a college-town atmosphere."

Suh plans to major in engineering.

Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com (ssipple@journalstar.com).



http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2005/01/22/huskerextra/doc41f05ec730222790381977.txt

[Skip Towne]

In addition to this kid we also got Ndamukong Suh out of Oregon. One of the top DT's in the nation on the same day. :thumb: He's also rated as a 4 star on Rivals. On behalf of Husker fans across the nation we would like to thank Coach Pinkel for steering this kid to Nebraska. :)


NU snares Missouri receiver, Oregon d-lineman
BY STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star
He committed to Missouri last spring, fully intending to help Tigers football coach Gary Pinkel push his program upward.
In the ensuing months, however, Chris Brooks' relationship with Missouri soured. His official campus visit in December just didn't feel right, he said.

"When you boil it all down, I didn't really have a relationship with Coach Pinkel during the last two months," the wide receiver from St. Louis said Thursday.

Turns out, Missouri's loss became Nebraska's gain.
Brooks, saying he felt comfortable with Nebraska head coach Bill Callahan and defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove, reneged on his Missouri commitment and gave his verbal pledge to NU, the first of two significant commitments landed by the Huskers on Thursday.

Later in the day, Nebraska received a pledge from Ndamukong Suh, a 6-foot-4, 278-pound defensive tackle from Portland, Ore. Suh had pared his final list to NU and California.

Both Brooks and Suh are rated as four-star prospects in Rivals.com's five-star system.

They become the 25th and 26th players known to have committed to Nebraska's highly regarded 2005 scholarship recruiting class, which now includes nine four-star prospects and two-five star players.

In landing Brooks, Nebraska tapped Cosgrove's strong recruiting ties in the St. Louis area. As a 14-year assistant at Wisconsin, Cosgrove landed a slew of St. Louis players, perhaps most notably Terrell Fletcher, a standout running back; Jamar Fletcher, the 2000 Thorpe Award winner as the nation's outstanding defensive back; and defensive tackle Wendell Bryant, a two-time Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year.

Cosgrove and Callahan earned Brooks' trust.

"I felt comfortable talking to them about not only football, but also life after football," Brooks said. "Coach Cosgrove, he's just an easy-going guy. I felt I could communicate with him. He understands the background I came from, so I didn't have to hide anything."

Playing for Hazelwood East High School, the 6-3, 190-pound Brooks this season had more than 50 receptions for 1,100 yards and 15 touchdowns, said head coach Corey Johnson.

"Nebraska's getting a big receiver — a big, physical receiver," Johnson said. "Plus, he's exceptional at running intermediate and short routes and catching the ball across the middle."

Brooks made an official visit to Missouri on Dec. 10.

"It wasn't all I expected," he said. "I wasn't too comfortable in the city. The players I met were great — it was nothing they did. It just didn't feel right, and I felt like I was cheating myself."

A couple weeks later, Brooks visited the Nebraska campus with a Hazelwood teammate, defensive tackle Anthony Jackson. NU students were on break, and Brooks and Jackson were the only recruits on campus.

This visit felt good, Brooks said.

Brooks, who has a 10-month-old son, likes the thought of attending college close to home, close to family. He also relishes the chance of immediate playing time, though he's not taking it for granted.

"I think there's an opportunity for all of us to compete and grow as a unit," Brooks said. "Hopefully, we can join together and accomplish our goal of winning a national championship."

Rivals.com rates Brooks No. 15 among the nation's high school wideouts, while Suh is ranked No. 6 among defensive tackles.

"Nebraska's getting a physical specimen with an attitude — but it's the right kind of attitude," said Gary Thorson, head coach at Grant High in Portland. "Ndamukong plays with just the right amount of nastiness that you want."

Suh, who participated in last weekend's U.S. Army All-American Bowl, was named Oregon's defensive player of the year in a vote of coaches.

"At Nebraska, I really like the all-around family atmosphere," he said. "The players are really tight-knit, maybe because there's not much of a city there.

"But in a sense that's a good thing because it's more of a college-town atmosphere."

Suh plans to major in engineering.

Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com (ssipple@journalstar.com).



http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2005/01/22/huskerextra/doc41f05ec730222790381977.txt
Nuck Febraska!!

[alanm]

Nuck Febraska!!Gotta admit that Calahan is certainly living up to his billing as one of Rivals all time best recruiters. If these kids he's recruited live up to half of the expectations and hype we'll be in the National Championship hunt again shortly. :p

[Skip Towne]

Gotta admit that Calahan is certainly living up to his billing as one of Rivals all time best recruiters. If these kids he's recruited live up to half of the expectations and hype we'll be in the National Championship hunt again shortly. :p
Just talk. You're forgetting how Callahan coaches.

[teedubya]

yeah, Im normally not a big fan of MU coaches, but I really really like Quin Snyder and Gary Pinkel. I hope to see them around for a couple decades.

go :mizzou:

ROFL

[Dave Lane]

I think Pinkel has a chance to be a special coach...

Dave
:KU:

[Eleazar]

Yet another reason why Alden needs to go and they need to install a whole new regime down there.

Sure would have been nice to have a top WR prospect to go with our top QB prospect

[Chief Henry]

What the hell?? The Athletic dept must be ****ed up bad then.



Not only that, they don't honor there committments in football games either....Play IOWA, Pinkel you pansy azz.