Derham Cato was the first coach in the building Wednesday.
The Missouri staffer clocked in at Macomb (Mich.) Dakota at 7:15 a.m. to get his recruiting trip started. Amid his first offseason as the primary tight ends coach, Cato marked the first Tigers coach in the past decade to recruit on the Dakota campus.
"We've had contact over the phone and through texts and things," Dakota head coach Greg Baur said. "But to my knowledge, this is the first time since I've been the head coach for 10 years that Mizzou has been in the building, which is great."
Cato traveled to Macomb, Michigan, to speak with Baur about Class of 2027 safety Elijah Goins, the first player in Dakota's program history to start as a freshman on the varsity team.
"Our schools had some really good players and really good history of football," Baur said, "So that tells you something about him right there."
Only scratching the surface of his potential the past two seasons, Goins showed mature traits as an underclassman. College staffers flocked to Dakota this week to see that growth in person as well, acknowledging his early developments at multiple secondary positions.
Goins has received interest to play cornerback and nickel, showing an ability to cover X and slot receivers. He's also managed to be a consistent safety, sticking on the deep path and playing in the middle of the field in Cover 1 for Dakota the past two seasons.
"He's very versatile, not afraid of contact at all," Baur said, "so he could come up and hit you. Good ball skills, just good instincts for the game."
Goins added four offers the past two days, including Colorado State, Illinois and Western Michigan. But Goins' offer from Missouri will likely be just the right domino for more Power Four schools to take notice.
"I think he's a diamond in the rough," Baur said. "I think that offer is going to probably turn up the the interest with other schools. ... I think it's going to heat up pretty quickly for him, which is good, but I would think Missouri would be near the top of that list."
Mizzou's Derham Cato offers 2027 SAF, 'diamond in the rough' Elijah Goins
For the first time in a decade, Missouri made a recruiting trip to Macomb (Mich.) Dakota.
