BRIAN AUSTIN ON BASKETBALL RECRUITING
The 2012-13 early signing period starts this coming Wednesday the 14th and runs until the following Wednesday the 21st. At this point we are still expecting Torren Jones to fax in their NLI's sometime during the early signing period. I'll be contacting each player as they sign to get their reactions to becoming official members of the 2013 Mizzou Tiger class.
In respect to the rest of the 2013 class their is a new name on the radar. Rick Carter spent a few days in California the last week visiting schools up and down the coast and during his travels he stopped off to see Jamal Jones.
Speaking of Stevie Clark, just want to reiterate what Gabe posted last weekend for anyone who might have missed it. Clark did not end up making the visit to Missouri, but that hasn't eliminated the Tigers from contention. As Gabe said we are hearing that Clark will wait until the spring to make a decision now, which gives Mizzou time to reconnect with a recruit that they were leading with at one time.
Last thing, I started working on an updated 2014 hot board and will have that sometime next week. I'm also going to have our first 2015 hot board soon.
PETE SCANTLEBURY ON FOOTBALL RECRUITING
The big recruiting weekends in December are quickly approaching, and before we dive into some updates on a few recruits, let's take a step back and look at the big picture stuff. I've attempted to breakdown the current scholarship COUNT, but as always, I'm sure there are errors in my counting. I've provided my work below for you to check over, but here are the basics:
-- Missouri is slated to lose 16 players after this season, but right now, the Tigers only have 83 players on scholarship. That's because of the transfer of David Johnson prior to the season and the recent dismissal of Brandon Holifield.
-- I went ahead and marked Sheldon Richardson as a departure this season. I also went ahead and put Andrew Baggett on scholarship, because that will likely happen after the season.
We've been predicting around 19-21 players in this year's class, but it's looking like that may trend upwards. Right now, I'm guessing 21-23, and I wouldn't be surprised if Missouri finds a way to fit in a full class.
Here's my work, for you fact-checkers out there:
FR (2016) -- 14
Evan Winston
Torey Boozer
Harold Brantley
Jordan Williams
Chaston Ward
Ka'Ra Stewart
Morgan Steward
Michael Scherer
Levi Copelin
Sean Culkin
Donavin Newsom
Maty Mauk
Rickey Hatley
John Gibson
FR (2015) -- 3
Evan Boehm
DGB
Russell Hansbrough
RS FR (2015) -- 15
Kentrell Brothers
Brad McNulty
Connor MGovern
Taylor Chappell
Cortland Browning
Wesley Leftwich
Ian Simon
David Johnson
Andrew Baggett (will be on schollie)
Corbin Berkstresser
Mitch Hall
Michael Boddie
Shane Ray
Clarence Green
Ernest Payton
RS SO (2014) -- 19
Greg White
Chris Freeman
Braylon Webb
Lucas Vincent
Daniel Easterly
Kony Ealy
Mitch Morse
Marcus Murphy
Matt Hoch
Jared Parham
Markus Golden
Anthony Gatti
Darvin Ruise
Bud Sasser
Jimmie Hunt
Xavier Smith
Nick Demien
Henry Josey (2014)
Darius White (2014)
JR (2013) -- 4
EJ Gaines
Marcus Lucas
Eric Waters
James Franklin
RS JR (2013) -- 12
Marvin Foster
Jaleel Clark
Andrew Wilson
Randy Ponder
Brayden Burnett
Kerwin Stricker
Matt White
Justin Britt
L'Damian Washington
Michael Sam
Donovan Bonner
Max Copeland
SR (2012) -- 4
TJ Moe
Jack Meiners
Kendial Lawrence
Sheldon Richardson (2012)
RS SR (2012) -- 12
Kenronte Walker
Trey Barrow
Kip Edwards
Gahn McGaffie
Will Ebner
Jared McGriff-Culver
Travis Ruth
Jimmy Burge
Elvis Fisher
Zaviar Gooden
Brad Madison
Rolandis Woodland
2016 (14)
2015 (18)
2014 (19)
2013 (16)
2012 (16)
TOTAL: 83
Now with that update out of the way, let's get into some more recruiting news.
-- There's no doubting the importance of the defensive line in wrapping up this class, and there also seems to be no doubt that Missouri wants at least one junior college defensive lineman on its signing day roster. As Rob Cassidy explained this week, Woodland Hills (Cali.) defensive tackle Marquel Combs is not an option for Missouri. He's taking an online math class, and the SEC does not accept that as transfer credit. Combs tweeted that he eliminated the entire SEC recently, but in reality, there wasn't any chance of him going to an SEC school -- unless he stayed at JUCO until May and took the required coursework. But, he wants to be a December graduate, so he's not an option.
There have been a few reports that East Mississippi C.C. defensive end Za'Darius Smith has a Missouri offer, but I'm still unable to confirm that with the player himself. I spoke with our guys at the Warchant.com, and they said the last time they spoke with Smith (about three weeks ago), he didn't mention anything about Missouri. So, if the Tigers have officially offered, it's come in the time since.
A new name to keep on the radar is Fort Scott (Kan.) C.C. defensive end Demetrius Hill. Hill, orginally from Kankakee, Ill., is fresh off a strong performance in his first healthy year at Fort Scott. He finished with 55 tackles, 20 for loss, 6 pass break-ups and five sacks. Fort Scott is obviously a big talent-producing JUCO, and Hill made sure to let me know that.
"I tried to get to 70 tackles, but there's a lot of hungry D-I players on defense for us," Hill said.
Hill's profile lists him having offers from Indiana, Kansas, Memphis, Mississippi State, Northern Illinois, Oklahoma State and Toledo. He was actually committed to Indiana for a time during the summer, but de-committed about a month ago.
In the time since, he's gotten plenty more attention. Now, he said the schools he hears from most are West Virginia, Cincinnati, Kansas State, Kansas, Toledo, Indiana and Minnesota. He also said Texas Tech and LSU are picking up their interest.
However, Missouri has been in touch with Hill since the spring, and recently reached out to him.
"I talked to Coach Kuligowski on the phone about three or four weeks ago," Hill said. "They're very interested in me. They like how I play on the field and they said I have a good motor."
There are a few reasons I believe the interest is legitimate. For one, Hill said Kuligowski inquired about how many years of eligibility he has left and when he'll graduate. Hill will have three years left (he took a redshirt last season) and will graduate in May.
The graduation date may be a negative, as it looks like Missouri wants to get a JUCO player who can enroll early. However, with Randy Gregory off the board to Nebraska, and Marquel Combs not being a viable option, then Hill may be the next in line.
Should Missouri offer, Hill said the Tigers will get a visit.
"Oh, definitely," Hill said. "I like Missouri."
For now, Hill's lone upcoming visit is to Kansas the weekend after Thanksgiving.
-- Another defensive line prospect to keep an eye on is Mesquite (Texas) stronside defensive end Dimarya Mixon. Mixon recently decommitted from Arizona State, putting to rest a lot of speculation. I texted with Mixon this week, and he rebuffed a request for an interview.
"I'm trying to focus on my season," Mixon wrote.
However, he did say he's still considering Missouri, and may visit after the season.
-- A back-up plan for Missouri at defensive end is Chicago-Simeon two-star defensive end Devante Lee. I traded texts with Lee this week, but we couldn't catch each other on the phone. He did tell me that Missouri had shown a lot of interest, but he hasn't heard from them in over a week, which he said was odd. Still, he seems to be a viable option for Missouri if the Tigers miss out on some of these top targets.
GABE DeARMOND ON MIZZOU-TENNESSEE
When Missouri runs the ball: The Tigers struggled on the ground against Florida, but so has everyone else. The Vols are giving up 186 yards a game on the ground. Kendial Lawrence and Marcus Murphy should have room to run and James Franklin looked like a threat on the ground last week for the first time all season. EDGE: Mizzou, moderate to strong
When Mizzou throws the ball: Missouri had some success through the air, but it was derailed by Franklin's four picks. But there were bright spots. Dorial Green-Beckham is catching on in a big way. Marcus Lucas quietly made a couple of tough catches. And then there's the Volunteer defense. It's as bad against the pass as it is against the run. EDGE: Mizzou, moderate
When Tennessee runs the ball: UT isn't bad on the ground. They rank right in the middle of the country at 162 yards a game. The Tigers have been very good against opposing running games. They gave up one long run on a jet sweep last week, but the Gators weren't able to gash them. Missouri should be okay here. EDGE: Mizzou, slight
When Tennessee throws the ball: This is the matchup the Vols want to exploit. And that's true every week. Tennessee has three receivers who would lead the Tigers in yards. Tyler Bray has NFL potential and Justin Hunter and Cordarrelle Patterson are the best pair of wideouts Missouri will face this season. UT wants to get in a shootout and they want to use the passing game to do it. The Tiger pass defense has been much-improved this year, but they haven't seen an attack like they will this weekend. EDGE: Tennessee, moderate to strong
Special Teams: Cut and paste what I said last week. They seem to give the Tigers a big boost and pull the rug out from under them in the same game. EDGE: Tennessee
Coaching: Talk in Knoxville is that Derek Dooley has to win out to save his job. And even then it's not a sure thing. Dooley has had no success in the SEC since coming up from Louisiana Tech. Gary Pinkel hasn't had any success in the league either...but he's still in his first year. EDGE: Mizzou
Intangibles: It is two teams playing to save their season. Both have one more league road game they will be underdogs in. Both have five losses. Lose this one and a bowl game looks highly unlikely. It is two desperate teams. Home field shouldn't be that big an edge since the Volunteer fans are staying away in droves and it's an early kickoff. The Tigers are coming off a loss, but may have gained some confidence. The Vols are coming off a win, but probably didn't gain any. EDGE: Mizzou
Final Word: It's real simple. This game comes down to one question: Which weakness can be less weak on Saturday? Mizzou's offense or Tennessee's defense? The Tigers are going to have to score some to win this game. I know I gave Missouri the edge in the majority of categories. And on paper, there's every reason to believe they can win this game. It won't surprise me if they do. But I think that's going to take 28 points. And no matter how bad Tennessee's defense is, until I see the Mizzou offense finish off some drives and put up some points, I just can't pick them to score big. PREDICTION: Tennessee 30, Missouri 24.
The 2012-13 early signing period starts this coming Wednesday the 14th and runs until the following Wednesday the 21st. At this point we are still expecting Torren Jones to fax in their NLI's sometime during the early signing period. I'll be contacting each player as they sign to get their reactions to becoming official members of the 2013 Mizzou Tiger class.
In respect to the rest of the 2013 class their is a new name on the radar. Rick Carter spent a few days in California the last week visiting schools up and down the coast and during his travels he stopped off to see Jamal Jones.
Speaking of Stevie Clark, just want to reiterate what Gabe posted last weekend for anyone who might have missed it. Clark did not end up making the visit to Missouri, but that hasn't eliminated the Tigers from contention. As Gabe said we are hearing that Clark will wait until the spring to make a decision now, which gives Mizzou time to reconnect with a recruit that they were leading with at one time.
Last thing, I started working on an updated 2014 hot board and will have that sometime next week. I'm also going to have our first 2015 hot board soon.
PETE SCANTLEBURY ON FOOTBALL RECRUITING
The big recruiting weekends in December are quickly approaching, and before we dive into some updates on a few recruits, let's take a step back and look at the big picture stuff. I've attempted to breakdown the current scholarship COUNT, but as always, I'm sure there are errors in my counting. I've provided my work below for you to check over, but here are the basics:
-- Missouri is slated to lose 16 players after this season, but right now, the Tigers only have 83 players on scholarship. That's because of the transfer of David Johnson prior to the season and the recent dismissal of Brandon Holifield.
-- I went ahead and marked Sheldon Richardson as a departure this season. I also went ahead and put Andrew Baggett on scholarship, because that will likely happen after the season.
We've been predicting around 19-21 players in this year's class, but it's looking like that may trend upwards. Right now, I'm guessing 21-23, and I wouldn't be surprised if Missouri finds a way to fit in a full class.
Here's my work, for you fact-checkers out there:
FR (2016) -- 14
Evan Winston
Torey Boozer
Harold Brantley
Jordan Williams
Chaston Ward
Ka'Ra Stewart
Morgan Steward
Michael Scherer
Levi Copelin
Sean Culkin
Donavin Newsom
Maty Mauk
Rickey Hatley
John Gibson
FR (2015) -- 3
Evan Boehm
DGB
Russell Hansbrough
RS FR (2015) -- 15
Kentrell Brothers
Brad McNulty
Connor MGovern
Taylor Chappell
Cortland Browning
Wesley Leftwich
Ian Simon
David Johnson
Andrew Baggett (will be on schollie)
Corbin Berkstresser
Mitch Hall
Michael Boddie
Shane Ray
Clarence Green
Ernest Payton
RS SO (2014) -- 19
Greg White
Chris Freeman
Braylon Webb
Lucas Vincent
Daniel Easterly
Kony Ealy
Mitch Morse
Marcus Murphy
Matt Hoch
Jared Parham
Markus Golden
Anthony Gatti
Darvin Ruise
Bud Sasser
Jimmie Hunt
Xavier Smith
Nick Demien
Henry Josey (2014)
Darius White (2014)
JR (2013) -- 4
EJ Gaines
Marcus Lucas
Eric Waters
James Franklin
RS JR (2013) -- 12
Marvin Foster
Jaleel Clark
Andrew Wilson
Randy Ponder
Brayden Burnett
Kerwin Stricker
Matt White
Justin Britt
L'Damian Washington
Michael Sam
Donovan Bonner
Max Copeland
SR (2012) -- 4
TJ Moe
Jack Meiners
Kendial Lawrence
Sheldon Richardson (2012)
RS SR (2012) -- 12
Kenronte Walker
Trey Barrow
Kip Edwards
Gahn McGaffie
Will Ebner
Jared McGriff-Culver
Travis Ruth
Jimmy Burge
Elvis Fisher
Zaviar Gooden
Brad Madison
Rolandis Woodland
2016 (14)
2015 (18)
2014 (19)
2013 (16)
2012 (16)
TOTAL: 83
Now with that update out of the way, let's get into some more recruiting news.
-- There's no doubting the importance of the defensive line in wrapping up this class, and there also seems to be no doubt that Missouri wants at least one junior college defensive lineman on its signing day roster. As Rob Cassidy explained this week, Woodland Hills (Cali.) defensive tackle Marquel Combs is not an option for Missouri. He's taking an online math class, and the SEC does not accept that as transfer credit. Combs tweeted that he eliminated the entire SEC recently, but in reality, there wasn't any chance of him going to an SEC school -- unless he stayed at JUCO until May and took the required coursework. But, he wants to be a December graduate, so he's not an option.
There have been a few reports that East Mississippi C.C. defensive end Za'Darius Smith has a Missouri offer, but I'm still unable to confirm that with the player himself. I spoke with our guys at the Warchant.com, and they said the last time they spoke with Smith (about three weeks ago), he didn't mention anything about Missouri. So, if the Tigers have officially offered, it's come in the time since.
A new name to keep on the radar is Fort Scott (Kan.) C.C. defensive end Demetrius Hill. Hill, orginally from Kankakee, Ill., is fresh off a strong performance in his first healthy year at Fort Scott. He finished with 55 tackles, 20 for loss, 6 pass break-ups and five sacks. Fort Scott is obviously a big talent-producing JUCO, and Hill made sure to let me know that.
"I tried to get to 70 tackles, but there's a lot of hungry D-I players on defense for us," Hill said.
Hill's profile lists him having offers from Indiana, Kansas, Memphis, Mississippi State, Northern Illinois, Oklahoma State and Toledo. He was actually committed to Indiana for a time during the summer, but de-committed about a month ago.
In the time since, he's gotten plenty more attention. Now, he said the schools he hears from most are West Virginia, Cincinnati, Kansas State, Kansas, Toledo, Indiana and Minnesota. He also said Texas Tech and LSU are picking up their interest.
However, Missouri has been in touch with Hill since the spring, and recently reached out to him.
"I talked to Coach Kuligowski on the phone about three or four weeks ago," Hill said. "They're very interested in me. They like how I play on the field and they said I have a good motor."
There are a few reasons I believe the interest is legitimate. For one, Hill said Kuligowski inquired about how many years of eligibility he has left and when he'll graduate. Hill will have three years left (he took a redshirt last season) and will graduate in May.
The graduation date may be a negative, as it looks like Missouri wants to get a JUCO player who can enroll early. However, with Randy Gregory off the board to Nebraska, and Marquel Combs not being a viable option, then Hill may be the next in line.
Should Missouri offer, Hill said the Tigers will get a visit.
"Oh, definitely," Hill said. "I like Missouri."
For now, Hill's lone upcoming visit is to Kansas the weekend after Thanksgiving.
-- Another defensive line prospect to keep an eye on is Mesquite (Texas) stronside defensive end Dimarya Mixon. Mixon recently decommitted from Arizona State, putting to rest a lot of speculation. I texted with Mixon this week, and he rebuffed a request for an interview.
"I'm trying to focus on my season," Mixon wrote.
However, he did say he's still considering Missouri, and may visit after the season.
-- A back-up plan for Missouri at defensive end is Chicago-Simeon two-star defensive end Devante Lee. I traded texts with Lee this week, but we couldn't catch each other on the phone. He did tell me that Missouri had shown a lot of interest, but he hasn't heard from them in over a week, which he said was odd. Still, he seems to be a viable option for Missouri if the Tigers miss out on some of these top targets.
GABE DeARMOND ON MIZZOU-TENNESSEE
When Missouri runs the ball: The Tigers struggled on the ground against Florida, but so has everyone else. The Vols are giving up 186 yards a game on the ground. Kendial Lawrence and Marcus Murphy should have room to run and James Franklin looked like a threat on the ground last week for the first time all season. EDGE: Mizzou, moderate to strong
When Mizzou throws the ball: Missouri had some success through the air, but it was derailed by Franklin's four picks. But there were bright spots. Dorial Green-Beckham is catching on in a big way. Marcus Lucas quietly made a couple of tough catches. And then there's the Volunteer defense. It's as bad against the pass as it is against the run. EDGE: Mizzou, moderate
When Tennessee runs the ball: UT isn't bad on the ground. They rank right in the middle of the country at 162 yards a game. The Tigers have been very good against opposing running games. They gave up one long run on a jet sweep last week, but the Gators weren't able to gash them. Missouri should be okay here. EDGE: Mizzou, slight
When Tennessee throws the ball: This is the matchup the Vols want to exploit. And that's true every week. Tennessee has three receivers who would lead the Tigers in yards. Tyler Bray has NFL potential and Justin Hunter and Cordarrelle Patterson are the best pair of wideouts Missouri will face this season. UT wants to get in a shootout and they want to use the passing game to do it. The Tiger pass defense has been much-improved this year, but they haven't seen an attack like they will this weekend. EDGE: Tennessee, moderate to strong
Special Teams: Cut and paste what I said last week. They seem to give the Tigers a big boost and pull the rug out from under them in the same game. EDGE: Tennessee
Coaching: Talk in Knoxville is that Derek Dooley has to win out to save his job. And even then it's not a sure thing. Dooley has had no success in the SEC since coming up from Louisiana Tech. Gary Pinkel hasn't had any success in the league either...but he's still in his first year. EDGE: Mizzou
Intangibles: It is two teams playing to save their season. Both have one more league road game they will be underdogs in. Both have five losses. Lose this one and a bowl game looks highly unlikely. It is two desperate teams. Home field shouldn't be that big an edge since the Volunteer fans are staying away in droves and it's an early kickoff. The Tigers are coming off a loss, but may have gained some confidence. The Vols are coming off a win, but probably didn't gain any. EDGE: Mizzou
Final Word: It's real simple. This game comes down to one question: Which weakness can be less weak on Saturday? Mizzou's offense or Tennessee's defense? The Tigers are going to have to score some to win this game. I know I gave Missouri the edge in the majority of categories. And on paper, there's every reason to believe they can win this game. It won't surprise me if they do. But I think that's going to take 28 points. And no matter how bad Tennessee's defense is, until I see the Mizzou offense finish off some drives and put up some points, I just can't pick them to score big. PREDICTION: Tennessee 30, Missouri 24.
