Marietta (Ga.) Kell has become a premier stop for Missouri coaches this offseason.
Linebackers coach Derek Nicholson was the most recent staffer to check in with the Longhorns' staff Thursday. He met with Class of 2026 recruits Jowell Combay and Tony Forney Jr., a pair of defensive backs scheduled to officially visit the Tigers the final weekend in May.
"He had an opportunity to see Jowell and Tony, talk with them for a second and build that relationship with them," Kell recruiting coordinator Chris Pack said. "So I know they're excited about getting over there for their their OV date."
Combay backed out of his spring visit with the Tigers in March, looking to make an unofficial at a later date. The four-star safety hasn't rescheduled that trip, while his official visit nears in the coming month.
Transferring to Kell from Kennesaw (Ga.) Harrison at the start of the spring semester, Combay saw his recruitment take off. He also mixed right in with a loaded secondary after playing both ways for Harrison.
"He worked his tail off since he's been here," Pack said. "Our back seven is pretty dang good, and they all push each other. They work hard, and he jumped right in and fit right in with that group."
Forney originally planned to visit Missouri from June 20-22, but with his new teammate also considering the Tigers and building a strong relationship with safeties coach Jacob Yoro, Forney moved up his visit to join Combay on their first trip to see the program.
"Football has changed," Pack said. "It's now a sideline-to-sideline game, and you throw the ball a lot more. So being able to defend against the pass is important, and we're really excited about our backend and the talent that we have back there. And those guys should be able to make some noise this year."
Nicholson extended an offer to Kamoni Adams, who played both ways his sophomore season, finding snaps in the secondary. The Class of 2027 cornerback also stepped in at running back one game when starter Quinterrius Gipson was out with an injury.
That versatility put Adams on the map this offseason, as he garnered more attention from colleges. But Pack still tabbed Adams a "baby," in the sense his cornerback is just getting started.
"He's just a really athletic kid, really fluid, great hips, great movement, great coverage skills, fast," Pack said. "He's just at the tip of the iceberg of what he's going to be able to do."
An instant starter for Kell, Gipson matured more during his sophomore campaign. The 5-foot-11, 200-pound running back, who Nicholson also offered, carried a larger workload as the primary option for the offense. Ranking No. 106 in the 2027 class, the four-star averaged 7.1 yards per rush and recorded 17 touchdowns this past year.
"He's got great balance, great feel for the game," Pack said.
Nicholson also asked about Pack's son, Brayden Rouse, a Rivals250 linebacker, but with Rouse recently narrowing his list down to four schools, Missouri was late to rekindling interest after former linebackers coach D.J. Smith offered Rouse during the fall.
Missouri cornerbacks coach Al Pogue stopped by Kell during the NCAA Contact Period in January. With another round of offers coming through, the Tigers sent Nicholson out to further a relationship with a school that's kept its doors wide open to colleges this offseason.
"I think we had 73 schools or something come through there in the winter," Pack said, "so we should have over 100 come through this spring. ... We have a talented group of kids that drive recruiting through the school, so it's really good for for those kids and really good for our other kids, because that's a good way for other kids to get noticed."
Mizzou's Derek Nicholson checks in with top Kell recruits
Missouri linebackers coach Derek Nicholson checked in with two future official visitors and offered two new targets.
