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OFF TOPIC Your path to Mizzou

Mizzoufan90 brought up a great idea yesterday when I asked for ideas of popular topics to talk about on here. I'd love to get to know your guys' stories a bit better, especially over the summer while the sports world is a little quieter.

But I can't ask you guys personal questions without giving my story in return.

So college wise, I went to Oklahoma State. I knew from a pretty young age that getting paid to watch sports was what I wanted to do for work and my best friend came up to my in eighth grade or so and said something like "Hey, did you know you can major in sports media? Like that's a full program, not just a branch of journalism or communications." We looked into the program at OSU together and decided at that point that we were both going. There were other options as we got closer, Washington State has a solid communications program and I really liked Montana and their J school is solid, but I never really wavered from OSU being the goal. At the time, the only other schools with a Sports Media major were Texas (wasn't going to get in with my high school grades, I was a smart kid, but a bad student) and IUPUI (not moving halfway across the country to go to a commuter school. And I just found out looking it up that it's now closed after 2024? That feels crazy). Nowadays, more and more schools are adding the major, which I find very exciting for the business overall.

Then out of college I went and worked for a small paper in southern Minnesota for a few years before getting started at the Jefferson City News Tribune in 2021. I'm very thankful for all the different stops and places I've been, especially now that they've led me to covering Mizzou and being a part of this community.

mizzoufan90 told us about becoming the first college grad in the family when he decided to come to Mizzou for J school out of Illinois and Rmags talked about his family history in the Tiger baseball program as a path to follow leading to Columbia.

Does anyone else want to share their stories about what brought them to Mizzou? Whether as a student or as a fan at a different point in life?

INSIDE OFFER TO RISING 2027 WR CAM WADE

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When Jacob Peeler got on the phone with Cam Wade, he immediately set the tone for their growing relationship.

Peeler, Missouri's wide receiver coach, admired the Class of 2027 wideout's speed from inside at the slot and on the outside at the X and Z positions. He also liked Wade's run after the catch and how playing both sides of the ball will only better his knowledge of the playbook.

"I liked the way he was trying to coach me up about the game before we even had any conversations about anything else," Wade said.

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Wade, a 6-foot, 165-pound rising junior at Nashville (Tenn.) East Nashville Magnet, also learned about Nasty Wideouts, Peeler's group of top wide receivers to excel in college and reach the NFL.

"Luther Burden and Theo Wease were both very talented receivers that I watched a lot of this year," Wade said, "and the way both of those guys developed over the years was incredible."

Also hearing about Peeler's time at Mississippi, where he developed A.J. Brown and DK Metcalf provided another reason for Wade to build early trust in the Tigers' wide receiver coach.

Peeler pushed for Wade to look into dates for either a camp this summer or game this fall. Wade saw a surge in his recruitment since the NCAA Contact Period opened, but his blossoming connection with Peeler will lead to a likely visit soon.

"I will for sure be there soon," Wade said. "Him and the coaches staff would love to show me around."

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