Football recruiting, as always this time of year, takes center stage and we’ll get right to it:
Pete Scantlebury on Football Recruiting
After this week's flurry of recruiting activity, let's take a step back and see where Missouri stands.
Right now, the Tigers have 17 known commitments, broken down thusly:
QB: 1
RB: 2
WR/TE: 1
OL: 3
DE: 2
DT: 1
LB: 4
DB: 3
New commitment Levi Copelinhttp://rivals.yahoo.com/missouri/football/recruiting/player-Levi-Copelin-126441 said Missouri is recruiting him as an athlete, but also said he would like to play defense. That's why I'm including him in that defensive group as a safety.
There appear to be three areas of concern right now for Missouri's 2012 class (and I'm talking about stars or national perception). Those areas are cornerback, defensive tackle and wide receiver.
Offensive line has the potential to be an issue, should Simon Goines go elsewhere (he's visiting UCLA this weekend). But, Missouri is in good shape with Jake Meadorhttp://rivals.yahoo.com/missouri/football/recruiting/player-Jake-Meador-118383, and having Evan Boehm on board is a huge boon to that group as it is.
Back to the areas of concern. Defensive tackle has to be the most pressing need. I'm still not sure at which position Evan Winston will play in college, but he has the potential to put on weight and be a defensive tackle, joining Edmund Ray. But, depth at the interior line is a must, and that's why you're seeing this flurry of activity in the Southeast.
The main targets to add to the defensive line are McDonough (GA) DL Albert McCoyhttp://rivals.yahoo.com/missouri/football/recruiting/player-Albert-McCoy-132179. With the exception of Terrell, who is a defensive tackle through-and-through, the other three players project at multiple positions, and I believe that's why they're so attractive to Missouri right now.
(With recent comments by Keller (TX) DT Aaron Curryhttp://rivals.yahoo.com/missouri/football/recruiting/player-Aaron-Curry-121936, it appears his decision will come down to Nebraska and Iowa. I don't see him as a viable option for Missouri at this time.)
With the de-committment of Will Hines, there are no cornerbacks committed to Missouri. That could change, because Chaston Cuffee and Ka'Ra Stewart have the potential to play there. However, they committed as safeties, so that's where I'm grouping them. Missouri is still looking to add another cornerback, as it will lose two (Kip Edwards, Robert Steeples) after this season. Dallas (TX) athlete Kentrell Bricehttp://rivals.yahoo.com/missouri/football/recruiting/player-Kentrell-Brice-124717, are Missouri's top choices to fill Hines' spot.
Wide receiver isn't as big an issue, with the transfer of Darius White and the impending decision of DGB. I overestimated Missouri's need at this position earlier in the recruiting cycle, and the Tigers will already have ten scholarship receivers on the roster for next season. With T.J. Moe being so steady, and the exciting development of L'Damian Washington and Marcus Lucas, as well as some young guys with a lot of potential, there isn't the need to bring in three or four guys in this class.
However, should they miss on DGB, this position becomes more of a problem.
This number can fluctuate, but I believe Missouri will bring in five more players in this class. The breakdown should be two DL (1 DT, 1 DE), 1 CB and then best-available.
(DGB, Ed Pope and Jake Meador fit into the best-available category, in my opinion. And if they all pick Missouri, there will be room for them.)
Onto this weekend. Missouri is slated to bring in a handful of guys. Here are the ones we're sure of:
Levi Copelin, ATH, Broken Arrow (OK) -- Missouri commit
Michael Onuohahttp://rivals.yahoo.com/missouri/football/recruiting/player-Michael-Onuoha-128778, ATH, Edmond (OK) -- Down to Missouri, Oklahoma
Terry Grigsbyhttp://rivals.yahoo.com/missouri/football/recruiting/player-Terry-Grigsby-123144, WR, Omaha (NE) -- Grigsby could also be getting a look at CB. He does not have an offer.
There are two guys that COULD visit, but we're not able to get confirmation at this point:
Damien Lawry, ATH, Dallas (TX) -- an Iowa State commit. Lawry said he would be deciding whether to take this visit. We've bee unable to get any confirmation from him or his coach. A source told us that Missouri's staff is expecting him to visit, however.
Edward Popehttp://rivals.yahoo.com/missouri/football/recruiting/player-Edward-Pope-109373, ATH, Carthage (TX) -- Pope has said he had this weekend circled for Missouri. I've been unable to confirm it with him, and Arkansas sites are reporting that he's visiting Fayetteville this weekend. However, I haven't seen one quote from him. Like Lawry, a source told us that Missouri's staff is expecting him. However, we may not know until someone sees him on campus in Columbia or in Fayetteville. I can confirm, however, that members of the Missou4i staff had an in-home visit with Pope late this week.
The Georgia duo of Manley and Thomason will both visit over the next week. Manley said he'll visit during the week, and Thomason confirmed that he will be in town next weekend. To the best of my knowledge, Thomason has an official offer, whereas Manley does not yet. However, new safety coach Alex Grinch was in Georgia on Thursday to meet with both players. An offer could be on the way for Manley.
Back to Onuoha. From what I've heard, the decision to push his Oklahoma visit back to Jan. 27 was made by OU's staff, not Onuoha. At this point, it appears the Sooners are after players rated higher in their eyes. Don't be surprised if Missouri's staff makes a big push for a commitment this weekend, pointing out that they're ready to take him as soon as he's ready.
I'm not sure what to make of Grigsby. I seriously doubt they're recruiting him as a wide receiver. At this point, I believe he's another option at cornerback. No offer has been extended, but if they miss on Lawry and Brice, he could be in the running.
I'll finish this up with a few thoughts from my day at Lee's Summit West, where I interviewed Evan Boehm, and his father, Royce Boehm. Royce is the head coach of Lee's Summit West, and he had some glowing remarks about Missouri's operation. I believe Gary Pinkel has set himself up nicely for a pipeline in that school for the foreseeable future.
One thing that Royce Boehm mentioned was about star rankings. Like others, he believes people get too caught up in the ratings, and don't look at the totality of the players. He mentioned to me that Missouri might be the best school he's dealt with at filling their needs first. He said he's seen other in-state guys not get offered because Missouri filled up at the position, and won't take a guy just to take a guy. He said it doesn't sound like much, but something like that shows how far Missouri has come on the recruiting trail.
A word he used a lot with Missouri's staff was "professionalism." Gary Pinkel and Andy Hill stopped by Lee's Summit West on Tuesday, and he said the way they dress and the manner in which they carry themselves does not go unnoticed. Pinkel and Hill also had an in-home visit with Evan that evening.
I'm not sure it means a whole lot to most of you, but hearing that from a very well-respected high school coach at a talent-producing school really paints Missouri's recruiting efforts in a positive light.
(That Evan Boehm feature should be up by Sunday. It's a long one. There's a lot of good insight into his story and his recruiting process that I think y'all will enjoy.)
Final thought: A big topic on the board this week has been about so-called "back-up offers." And, I agree with Gabe in that if Missouri misses on DGB, those four-star guys and players like Onuoha and Lawry, the class may be a bit disappointed in terms of filling needs.
But, for all that talk of back-up offers, just remember it's all about perception. Jake Meador (now a three-star) and David Perkins were back-up offers, too. They didn't get offered until November, when Missouri had some decommittments and missed on a few guys. But those four stars in front of their name paint them in a different light than a 5.5 three-star guy from Georgia or Florida.
Brian Austin on Basketball Recruiting
Tyler Ennis is a name that first showed up on Missouri's radar after a visit by the coaches to his high school back when the Tigers played Villanova. In the time sense that visit Ennis has led St Benedict's to a 17-1 record with it's only loss coming to New Jersey powerhouse St Anthony's. Along with his teams success Ennis said his season has been going well also. "I've been playing good," Ennis said. "The last six games I've had double-doubles and I also had a triple-double, so yeah I'm playing pretty well."
Originally from Toronto, Ennis is a 2013 recruit and already has an impressive list of offers. Right now he considers himself pretty wide open, but that doesn't mean he hasn't noticed Missouri. "Yeah I have interest in them," Ennis said. "They have two Canadians coming in and they're one of the top teams in the country right now." The two Canadians Ennis is referring to are Stefan Jankovic, who are from the Toronto area as well. In fact, Ennis said he's known Webster-Chan and Jankovic since their youth basketball days. Ennis hasn't scheduled any visits at this point, but he hopes to start taking them during the upcoming summer.
We have seen the talk of a visit from Devonta Pollardhttp://rivals.yahoo.com/missouri/basketball/recruiting/player-Devonta-Pollard-89236 on the weekend of February 4th. We haven’t been able to personally confirm that visit at this point. We will keep trying to do so over the next few days.
Gabe DeArmond mostly on DGB
Mostly on DGB, but not entirely. Believe it or not, as Pete outlined above, they are recruiting other players.
I traded texts with Terry Grigsby last night, who confirmed his visit to Mizzou this weekend. He told me he does not yet have an offer, but if he receives one, Missouri is immediately number one on his list. I don’t have a good idea yet if that will happen or not. I would think it is dependent on what happens with some other kids, but we shall see.
Outside of DGB, I think the most likely guy (of the bigger fish) could be offensive lineman Jake Meador. Missouri (Josh Henson) was in-home with him on Wednesday, Indiana on Thursday and Florida on Friday. There were some who expected Meador to commit shortly after he visited Missouri in early December. It didn’t happen, but I think the Tigers still have a very good shot. I also believe the Tigers have a better shot with Michael Onuoha than they normally would with an Oklahoma kid with a Sooner offer. There have been a few changes at OU and Henson and the Tigers’ staff have some connections at Broken Arrow High School.
Now with the appetizers out of the way, we’ll go ahead and give you the main course in the form of Dorial Green-Beckhamhttp://rivals.yahoo.com/missouri/football/recruiting/player-Dorial-Green-Beckham-98834. I’ll just run through the situation with each school.
Alabama: A story out of Springfield about a week ago stated that Bama was out. Whether they’ve officially been notified or not, you don’t hear anything about the Tide coaches being in town and there isn’t a whole lot of talk about him among Bama fans at this point. It’s always been a long shot that he would go anywhere so far away. There may be a Bama hat on the table on Signing Day, but at this point it doesn’t really look like an option.
Texas: Texas has been the team with the widest range here. Some have put them in the lead and some have said they’re out. The truth is very likely somewhere in between. Texas has not been told they’re eliminated at any point according to guys I talked to down there. They’re still swinging for the fences. Lead recruiter Darrell Wyatt will be in Springfield at some point next week and Mack Brown will use his in-home visit as well. But the general feeling is that it just won’t be enough to sway Dorial to the Horns. Texas has one problem it can’t overcome: It’s in Texas.
Oklahoma: At one point, just about everyone would have made the Sooners the odds-on favorite. Now, they seem to be fading the fastest. First of all, DGB visited Texas during the season, Arkansas this week and Missouri next, but couldn’t find room for an official to Oklahoma. May not mean much, but certainly seems to at least mean something. There has been some talk from OU folks that perhaps Green-Beckham doesn’t like the number of receivers (four, all at least four-stars) the Sooners already have in that class. I don’t know whether that’s true or not, it’s just the talk. Regardless, I’d expect OU to continue to take its shot, but it doesn’t look like it’s going to pay off.
All of that leads to the fact that we appear to primarily have a two-team race. Missouri vs Arkansas for America’s top prospect.
DGB will be in Fayetteville this weekend. He played hoops in St. Louis last night, but will not play the rest of the tournament and will instead take the full official visit to Arkansas. Our Arkansas guys told me that the Razorbacks moved some activities they would normally hold on Friday back to Saturday just to make sure DGB was in attendance.
Arkansas coaches were at Hillcrest last week, but it was offensive coordinator Paul Petrino. Bobby Petrino still has his in-home to use and is expected to be in town next week at some point prior to the trip to Columbia.
Last night, Dorial told KSDK in St. Louis that he would visit Mizzou next weekend. While we were fairly confident of that, this is the first time we know of that he’s actually confirmed it. Gary Pinkel was in-home with the Beckhams on Wednesday night and all reports were that things went very, very well. The word on the street is that Missouri has the support of the family here. That’s a big deal. Dorial has made mention in the past that his family’s opinion will play a big role in his decision. But ultimately, it is DGB who will make the choice. The Razorbacks and Tigers each have one shot to wow him. In the next 10 to 12 days, one of those schools is likely to land the top-rated recruit in America. And that’s as close as you’re going to get on a prediction from me.
Pete Scantlebury on Football Recruiting
After this week's flurry of recruiting activity, let's take a step back and see where Missouri stands.
Right now, the Tigers have 17 known commitments, broken down thusly:
QB: 1
RB: 2
WR/TE: 1
OL: 3
DE: 2
DT: 1
LB: 4
DB: 3
New commitment Levi Copelinhttp://rivals.yahoo.com/missouri/football/recruiting/player-Levi-Copelin-126441 said Missouri is recruiting him as an athlete, but also said he would like to play defense. That's why I'm including him in that defensive group as a safety.
There appear to be three areas of concern right now for Missouri's 2012 class (and I'm talking about stars or national perception). Those areas are cornerback, defensive tackle and wide receiver.
Offensive line has the potential to be an issue, should Simon Goines go elsewhere (he's visiting UCLA this weekend). But, Missouri is in good shape with Jake Meadorhttp://rivals.yahoo.com/missouri/football/recruiting/player-Jake-Meador-118383, and having Evan Boehm on board is a huge boon to that group as it is.
Back to the areas of concern. Defensive tackle has to be the most pressing need. I'm still not sure at which position Evan Winston will play in college, but he has the potential to put on weight and be a defensive tackle, joining Edmund Ray. But, depth at the interior line is a must, and that's why you're seeing this flurry of activity in the Southeast.
The main targets to add to the defensive line are McDonough (GA) DL Albert McCoyhttp://rivals.yahoo.com/missouri/football/recruiting/player-Albert-McCoy-132179. With the exception of Terrell, who is a defensive tackle through-and-through, the other three players project at multiple positions, and I believe that's why they're so attractive to Missouri right now.
(With recent comments by Keller (TX) DT Aaron Curryhttp://rivals.yahoo.com/missouri/football/recruiting/player-Aaron-Curry-121936, it appears his decision will come down to Nebraska and Iowa. I don't see him as a viable option for Missouri at this time.)
With the de-committment of Will Hines, there are no cornerbacks committed to Missouri. That could change, because Chaston Cuffee and Ka'Ra Stewart have the potential to play there. However, they committed as safeties, so that's where I'm grouping them. Missouri is still looking to add another cornerback, as it will lose two (Kip Edwards, Robert Steeples) after this season. Dallas (TX) athlete Kentrell Bricehttp://rivals.yahoo.com/missouri/football/recruiting/player-Kentrell-Brice-124717, are Missouri's top choices to fill Hines' spot.
Wide receiver isn't as big an issue, with the transfer of Darius White and the impending decision of DGB. I overestimated Missouri's need at this position earlier in the recruiting cycle, and the Tigers will already have ten scholarship receivers on the roster for next season. With T.J. Moe being so steady, and the exciting development of L'Damian Washington and Marcus Lucas, as well as some young guys with a lot of potential, there isn't the need to bring in three or four guys in this class.
However, should they miss on DGB, this position becomes more of a problem.
This number can fluctuate, but I believe Missouri will bring in five more players in this class. The breakdown should be two DL (1 DT, 1 DE), 1 CB and then best-available.
(DGB, Ed Pope and Jake Meador fit into the best-available category, in my opinion. And if they all pick Missouri, there will be room for them.)
Onto this weekend. Missouri is slated to bring in a handful of guys. Here are the ones we're sure of:
Levi Copelin, ATH, Broken Arrow (OK) -- Missouri commit
Michael Onuohahttp://rivals.yahoo.com/missouri/football/recruiting/player-Michael-Onuoha-128778, ATH, Edmond (OK) -- Down to Missouri, Oklahoma
Terry Grigsbyhttp://rivals.yahoo.com/missouri/football/recruiting/player-Terry-Grigsby-123144, WR, Omaha (NE) -- Grigsby could also be getting a look at CB. He does not have an offer.
There are two guys that COULD visit, but we're not able to get confirmation at this point:
Damien Lawry, ATH, Dallas (TX) -- an Iowa State commit. Lawry said he would be deciding whether to take this visit. We've bee unable to get any confirmation from him or his coach. A source told us that Missouri's staff is expecting him to visit, however.
Edward Popehttp://rivals.yahoo.com/missouri/football/recruiting/player-Edward-Pope-109373, ATH, Carthage (TX) -- Pope has said he had this weekend circled for Missouri. I've been unable to confirm it with him, and Arkansas sites are reporting that he's visiting Fayetteville this weekend. However, I haven't seen one quote from him. Like Lawry, a source told us that Missouri's staff is expecting him. However, we may not know until someone sees him on campus in Columbia or in Fayetteville. I can confirm, however, that members of the Missou4i staff had an in-home visit with Pope late this week.
The Georgia duo of Manley and Thomason will both visit over the next week. Manley said he'll visit during the week, and Thomason confirmed that he will be in town next weekend. To the best of my knowledge, Thomason has an official offer, whereas Manley does not yet. However, new safety coach Alex Grinch was in Georgia on Thursday to meet with both players. An offer could be on the way for Manley.
Back to Onuoha. From what I've heard, the decision to push his Oklahoma visit back to Jan. 27 was made by OU's staff, not Onuoha. At this point, it appears the Sooners are after players rated higher in their eyes. Don't be surprised if Missouri's staff makes a big push for a commitment this weekend, pointing out that they're ready to take him as soon as he's ready.
I'm not sure what to make of Grigsby. I seriously doubt they're recruiting him as a wide receiver. At this point, I believe he's another option at cornerback. No offer has been extended, but if they miss on Lawry and Brice, he could be in the running.
I'll finish this up with a few thoughts from my day at Lee's Summit West, where I interviewed Evan Boehm, and his father, Royce Boehm. Royce is the head coach of Lee's Summit West, and he had some glowing remarks about Missouri's operation. I believe Gary Pinkel has set himself up nicely for a pipeline in that school for the foreseeable future.
One thing that Royce Boehm mentioned was about star rankings. Like others, he believes people get too caught up in the ratings, and don't look at the totality of the players. He mentioned to me that Missouri might be the best school he's dealt with at filling their needs first. He said he's seen other in-state guys not get offered because Missouri filled up at the position, and won't take a guy just to take a guy. He said it doesn't sound like much, but something like that shows how far Missouri has come on the recruiting trail.
A word he used a lot with Missouri's staff was "professionalism." Gary Pinkel and Andy Hill stopped by Lee's Summit West on Tuesday, and he said the way they dress and the manner in which they carry themselves does not go unnoticed. Pinkel and Hill also had an in-home visit with Evan that evening.
I'm not sure it means a whole lot to most of you, but hearing that from a very well-respected high school coach at a talent-producing school really paints Missouri's recruiting efforts in a positive light.
(That Evan Boehm feature should be up by Sunday. It's a long one. There's a lot of good insight into his story and his recruiting process that I think y'all will enjoy.)
Final thought: A big topic on the board this week has been about so-called "back-up offers." And, I agree with Gabe in that if Missouri misses on DGB, those four-star guys and players like Onuoha and Lawry, the class may be a bit disappointed in terms of filling needs.
But, for all that talk of back-up offers, just remember it's all about perception. Jake Meador (now a three-star) and David Perkins were back-up offers, too. They didn't get offered until November, when Missouri had some decommittments and missed on a few guys. But those four stars in front of their name paint them in a different light than a 5.5 three-star guy from Georgia or Florida.
Brian Austin on Basketball Recruiting
Tyler Ennis is a name that first showed up on Missouri's radar after a visit by the coaches to his high school back when the Tigers played Villanova. In the time sense that visit Ennis has led St Benedict's to a 17-1 record with it's only loss coming to New Jersey powerhouse St Anthony's. Along with his teams success Ennis said his season has been going well also. "I've been playing good," Ennis said. "The last six games I've had double-doubles and I also had a triple-double, so yeah I'm playing pretty well."
Originally from Toronto, Ennis is a 2013 recruit and already has an impressive list of offers. Right now he considers himself pretty wide open, but that doesn't mean he hasn't noticed Missouri. "Yeah I have interest in them," Ennis said. "They have two Canadians coming in and they're one of the top teams in the country right now." The two Canadians Ennis is referring to are Stefan Jankovic, who are from the Toronto area as well. In fact, Ennis said he's known Webster-Chan and Jankovic since their youth basketball days. Ennis hasn't scheduled any visits at this point, but he hopes to start taking them during the upcoming summer.
We have seen the talk of a visit from Devonta Pollardhttp://rivals.yahoo.com/missouri/basketball/recruiting/player-Devonta-Pollard-89236 on the weekend of February 4th. We haven’t been able to personally confirm that visit at this point. We will keep trying to do so over the next few days.
Gabe DeArmond mostly on DGB
Mostly on DGB, but not entirely. Believe it or not, as Pete outlined above, they are recruiting other players.
I traded texts with Terry Grigsby last night, who confirmed his visit to Mizzou this weekend. He told me he does not yet have an offer, but if he receives one, Missouri is immediately number one on his list. I don’t have a good idea yet if that will happen or not. I would think it is dependent on what happens with some other kids, but we shall see.
Outside of DGB, I think the most likely guy (of the bigger fish) could be offensive lineman Jake Meador. Missouri (Josh Henson) was in-home with him on Wednesday, Indiana on Thursday and Florida on Friday. There were some who expected Meador to commit shortly after he visited Missouri in early December. It didn’t happen, but I think the Tigers still have a very good shot. I also believe the Tigers have a better shot with Michael Onuoha than they normally would with an Oklahoma kid with a Sooner offer. There have been a few changes at OU and Henson and the Tigers’ staff have some connections at Broken Arrow High School.
Now with the appetizers out of the way, we’ll go ahead and give you the main course in the form of Dorial Green-Beckhamhttp://rivals.yahoo.com/missouri/football/recruiting/player-Dorial-Green-Beckham-98834. I’ll just run through the situation with each school.
Alabama: A story out of Springfield about a week ago stated that Bama was out. Whether they’ve officially been notified or not, you don’t hear anything about the Tide coaches being in town and there isn’t a whole lot of talk about him among Bama fans at this point. It’s always been a long shot that he would go anywhere so far away. There may be a Bama hat on the table on Signing Day, but at this point it doesn’t really look like an option.
Texas: Texas has been the team with the widest range here. Some have put them in the lead and some have said they’re out. The truth is very likely somewhere in between. Texas has not been told they’re eliminated at any point according to guys I talked to down there. They’re still swinging for the fences. Lead recruiter Darrell Wyatt will be in Springfield at some point next week and Mack Brown will use his in-home visit as well. But the general feeling is that it just won’t be enough to sway Dorial to the Horns. Texas has one problem it can’t overcome: It’s in Texas.
Oklahoma: At one point, just about everyone would have made the Sooners the odds-on favorite. Now, they seem to be fading the fastest. First of all, DGB visited Texas during the season, Arkansas this week and Missouri next, but couldn’t find room for an official to Oklahoma. May not mean much, but certainly seems to at least mean something. There has been some talk from OU folks that perhaps Green-Beckham doesn’t like the number of receivers (four, all at least four-stars) the Sooners already have in that class. I don’t know whether that’s true or not, it’s just the talk. Regardless, I’d expect OU to continue to take its shot, but it doesn’t look like it’s going to pay off.
All of that leads to the fact that we appear to primarily have a two-team race. Missouri vs Arkansas for America’s top prospect.
DGB will be in Fayetteville this weekend. He played hoops in St. Louis last night, but will not play the rest of the tournament and will instead take the full official visit to Arkansas. Our Arkansas guys told me that the Razorbacks moved some activities they would normally hold on Friday back to Saturday just to make sure DGB was in attendance.
Arkansas coaches were at Hillcrest last week, but it was offensive coordinator Paul Petrino. Bobby Petrino still has his in-home to use and is expected to be in town next week at some point prior to the trip to Columbia.
Last night, Dorial told KSDK in St. Louis that he would visit Mizzou next weekend. While we were fairly confident of that, this is the first time we know of that he’s actually confirmed it. Gary Pinkel was in-home with the Beckhams on Wednesday night and all reports were that things went very, very well. The word on the street is that Missouri has the support of the family here. That’s a big deal. Dorial has made mention in the past that his family’s opinion will play a big role in his decision. But ultimately, it is DGB who will make the choice. The Razorbacks and Tigers each have one shot to wow him. In the next 10 to 12 days, one of those schools is likely to land the top-rated recruit in America. And that’s as close as you’re going to get on a prediction from me.
