The Chamber is not above taking enjoyment from others misery which means this could've been an all-time week. From the Tigers best basketball team in years still not being as good as Kansas to James Foster decommitting, it's been a rough one for Mizzou fans. But biting the hand that feeds you is never a great idea. Even for someone as cool and important as The Chamber. So instead The Chamber will try to bring Mizzou nation some news that may lift its collective spirit just a smidge. It may not succeed, but gosh darn it The Chamber tried.
First up is a beacon for good news and positivity, Gabriel DeArmond.
So it's not been much of a week in football recruiting. The James Foster decommitment really wasn't a shock by the time it happened.This one seemed to have been in the works for a while. Missouri basically told him they needed him to be on board and lead the way, but if he was going to open things up, it was better that he do it now. So he did. From what I've been told, Missouri won't put anymore resources into Foster. Now, I don't think they'd stand much of a chance of getting him anyway, but the point is, the quarterback in this class will be somebody else. We really don't have a feel for who yet. That's information we'll obviously try to dig into. Missouri's actually in a pretty good situation. Whoever they bring in will redshirt and the earliest they'd see the field would be as a redshirt freshman in the 2019 season, so the Tigers will look at every option.
The Cam Taylor decommitment came as a bit more of a surprise to me. Probably also to the staff. I actually still think there is a decent chance Taylor still ends up signing with Missouri. It will be interesting to see how things shake out, but honestly, I don't think Taylor has some of the other options Foster might. I'd still say it's probably not highly likely that Taylor ends up at Mizzou, but I do think there's a chance whereas there really isn't one with Foster.
Have had someone in KC tell me that Daniel Parker Jr. could be looking at some official visits. This isn't really a shock, it's always been a possibility. Iowa and Oklahoma State were specifically mentioned. The fact that he has committed twice makes us think it would be a little harder for him to walk away, but we'll be keeping an eye on that situation.
I asked Harry Ballard III if he was still committed to Missouri. He answered “very blessed to be.” Twitter has brought a whole new nuance to following recruiting. Some kids you can tell a lot or read into what they tweet. Others not at all. Ballard is the latter. He likes the online love from fans, but every time I’ve checked with him he remains solidly committed.
I'm sure you're all panicked about football recruiting and won't be too thrilled to read this Chamber, but the fact is, they're going to have to go win some games before any positive news happens. They'll sign players. Where they'll be ranked, who knows? Will they be better or worse than the ones that decommitted? Again, who knows. But they're going to find guys to fill the class. And if they don't win some games, none of it will matter because the staff won't be here, the kids will be free agents and Missouri will sign no one in December.
That's really the variable here is the early signing period. I understand most of those who post on this board have decided Odom has to go. Some of you have decided that based on this recruiting class. I will say this (and it's not a reason to keep the coach or my argument to save his job, simply a fact to consider): If Odom gets fired, this class will actually be significantly worse than if he doesn't. The last game is November 24. The earliest he's losing his job is probably November 26. The earliest you're realistically hiring a new coach is probably around December 5. The early signing period is on December 20. The fact is, a new coach isn't getting a bunch of guys to recommit or going out and finding a bunch of new guys in 14 days. If Odom gets fired, Mizzou probably signs fewer than ten guys in December and is combing through what's left for February. Again, I want to be clear, I AM NOT SAYING YOU KEEP ODOM BECAUSE OF THIS. I am simply saying that if you're making a coaching change--at Missouri or anywhere--the class is probably going to take a significant hit due to the early signing period.
On basketball, I'd recommend listening to the podcast we did with Eric Bossi yesterday. The early signing period starts in 12 days. The biggest intrigue there is probably going to be with Carte'Are Gordon. As of now we expect him to sign with SLU, but it's at least worth watching. Torrence Watson and Javon Pickett we expect to sign with Mizzou in the early period. Not nearly as sure abut KJ Santos. We're going to do our best to track down info, but I'm not sold he's going to be a part of this class quite yet.
No visits we know of this weekend. Ronnie DeGray will be here next weekend. Rocket Watts and I'm sure others will be in the weekend of the Iowa State game. We'll track down as many names as we can for the Chamber the next couple of weeks.
We'll finish with some wise words from the road warrior, Brian Austin.
Well it has been an interesting week around Mizzou football recruiting for sure. One thing to always keep in mind when it comes to recruiting however is that it's never who teams don't get that kills them. It's the guys they get and miss the evaluation on.
So who are the Tigers likely to land at this point? Probably not anyone from the Tiger Ten.
From what we're hearing Ronnie Perkins and Michael Thompson are the only in-state targets who Mizzou has any chance with at the moment and neither is real promising. Perkins is trending the wrong direction (see his tweet about Ronnell not playing in first half against Idaho) and Thompson is nearly impossible to get a read on.
How about out of state?
Well Mizzou should be in good shape with most of the new offers based solely on who else has offered. Khamari Thompson, Payne Durham, Amelio Moran and Gerald Nathan Jr. have all said they plan to visit Missouri. The Tigers are the first SEC offer from Georgia outside linebacker Jatorian Hansford. We're working to get a hold of him to see where Mizzou fits into his recruitment since offering. JuCo offensive lineman Jahmir Johnson has some other SEC offers, but Mizzou is hoping the success of his two-time former teammate Yasir Durant puts them in the drivers seat.
Older targets Messiah Swinson, Jerome Carvin, Joshua Ezeudu, Trajan Jeffcoat and Antar Thompson are still in play for Mizzou. Swinson visits officially next weekend for the Florida game. Carvin told me last night he is still considering Mizzou for his final official. Carvin still being interested likely means the Tigers have a chance with Jeremy Banks. The three-star running back visited for the Idaho game and has picked up several Power Five offers lately.
If Mizzou can get Cam Taylor back in the fold (admittedly a big if) they would still have a chance with Kavosiey Smoke and Tank Jenkins. For all the talk of what James Foster's commitment meant, Taylor was the more personable and popular commit with most other recruits.
What Mizzou will do at quarterback is the big question right now. What I've been told is that there are a handful of guys that Mizzou has interest in, but they will narrow their focus down internally before making any moves. There has been hours and hours of film broken down by the recruiting office undoubtedly. They will pass it on to the coaches and then they will sit down as a staff and figure out the pecking order of guys they like. It won't take real long (they don't have a ton of time obviously), but it could be the middle of next week before we hear much.
First up is a beacon for good news and positivity, Gabriel DeArmond.
So it's not been much of a week in football recruiting. The James Foster decommitment really wasn't a shock by the time it happened.This one seemed to have been in the works for a while. Missouri basically told him they needed him to be on board and lead the way, but if he was going to open things up, it was better that he do it now. So he did. From what I've been told, Missouri won't put anymore resources into Foster. Now, I don't think they'd stand much of a chance of getting him anyway, but the point is, the quarterback in this class will be somebody else. We really don't have a feel for who yet. That's information we'll obviously try to dig into. Missouri's actually in a pretty good situation. Whoever they bring in will redshirt and the earliest they'd see the field would be as a redshirt freshman in the 2019 season, so the Tigers will look at every option.
The Cam Taylor decommitment came as a bit more of a surprise to me. Probably also to the staff. I actually still think there is a decent chance Taylor still ends up signing with Missouri. It will be interesting to see how things shake out, but honestly, I don't think Taylor has some of the other options Foster might. I'd still say it's probably not highly likely that Taylor ends up at Mizzou, but I do think there's a chance whereas there really isn't one with Foster.
Have had someone in KC tell me that Daniel Parker Jr. could be looking at some official visits. This isn't really a shock, it's always been a possibility. Iowa and Oklahoma State were specifically mentioned. The fact that he has committed twice makes us think it would be a little harder for him to walk away, but we'll be keeping an eye on that situation.
I asked Harry Ballard III if he was still committed to Missouri. He answered “very blessed to be.” Twitter has brought a whole new nuance to following recruiting. Some kids you can tell a lot or read into what they tweet. Others not at all. Ballard is the latter. He likes the online love from fans, but every time I’ve checked with him he remains solidly committed.
I'm sure you're all panicked about football recruiting and won't be too thrilled to read this Chamber, but the fact is, they're going to have to go win some games before any positive news happens. They'll sign players. Where they'll be ranked, who knows? Will they be better or worse than the ones that decommitted? Again, who knows. But they're going to find guys to fill the class. And if they don't win some games, none of it will matter because the staff won't be here, the kids will be free agents and Missouri will sign no one in December.
That's really the variable here is the early signing period. I understand most of those who post on this board have decided Odom has to go. Some of you have decided that based on this recruiting class. I will say this (and it's not a reason to keep the coach or my argument to save his job, simply a fact to consider): If Odom gets fired, this class will actually be significantly worse than if he doesn't. The last game is November 24. The earliest he's losing his job is probably November 26. The earliest you're realistically hiring a new coach is probably around December 5. The early signing period is on December 20. The fact is, a new coach isn't getting a bunch of guys to recommit or going out and finding a bunch of new guys in 14 days. If Odom gets fired, Mizzou probably signs fewer than ten guys in December and is combing through what's left for February. Again, I want to be clear, I AM NOT SAYING YOU KEEP ODOM BECAUSE OF THIS. I am simply saying that if you're making a coaching change--at Missouri or anywhere--the class is probably going to take a significant hit due to the early signing period.
On basketball, I'd recommend listening to the podcast we did with Eric Bossi yesterday. The early signing period starts in 12 days. The biggest intrigue there is probably going to be with Carte'Are Gordon. As of now we expect him to sign with SLU, but it's at least worth watching. Torrence Watson and Javon Pickett we expect to sign with Mizzou in the early period. Not nearly as sure abut KJ Santos. We're going to do our best to track down info, but I'm not sold he's going to be a part of this class quite yet.
No visits we know of this weekend. Ronnie DeGray will be here next weekend. Rocket Watts and I'm sure others will be in the weekend of the Iowa State game. We'll track down as many names as we can for the Chamber the next couple of weeks.
We'll finish with some wise words from the road warrior, Brian Austin.
Well it has been an interesting week around Mizzou football recruiting for sure. One thing to always keep in mind when it comes to recruiting however is that it's never who teams don't get that kills them. It's the guys they get and miss the evaluation on.
So who are the Tigers likely to land at this point? Probably not anyone from the Tiger Ten.
From what we're hearing Ronnie Perkins and Michael Thompson are the only in-state targets who Mizzou has any chance with at the moment and neither is real promising. Perkins is trending the wrong direction (see his tweet about Ronnell not playing in first half against Idaho) and Thompson is nearly impossible to get a read on.
How about out of state?
Well Mizzou should be in good shape with most of the new offers based solely on who else has offered. Khamari Thompson, Payne Durham, Amelio Moran and Gerald Nathan Jr. have all said they plan to visit Missouri. The Tigers are the first SEC offer from Georgia outside linebacker Jatorian Hansford. We're working to get a hold of him to see where Mizzou fits into his recruitment since offering. JuCo offensive lineman Jahmir Johnson has some other SEC offers, but Mizzou is hoping the success of his two-time former teammate Yasir Durant puts them in the drivers seat.
Older targets Messiah Swinson, Jerome Carvin, Joshua Ezeudu, Trajan Jeffcoat and Antar Thompson are still in play for Mizzou. Swinson visits officially next weekend for the Florida game. Carvin told me last night he is still considering Mizzou for his final official. Carvin still being interested likely means the Tigers have a chance with Jeremy Banks. The three-star running back visited for the Idaho game and has picked up several Power Five offers lately.
If Mizzou can get Cam Taylor back in the fold (admittedly a big if) they would still have a chance with Kavosiey Smoke and Tank Jenkins. For all the talk of what James Foster's commitment meant, Taylor was the more personable and popular commit with most other recruits.
What Mizzou will do at quarterback is the big question right now. What I've been told is that there are a handful of guys that Mizzou has interest in, but they will narrow their focus down internally before making any moves. There has been hours and hours of film broken down by the recruiting office undoubtedly. They will pass it on to the coaches and then they will sit down as a staff and figure out the pecking order of guys they like. It won't take real long (they don't have a ton of time obviously), but it could be the middle of next week before we hear much.
