Unfortunately, not all of the expected participation list in terms of Mizzou targets showed up in Chicago on Sunday. However, the buzz around the camp centered around Kyren Williams and the fact that he's taking three official visits in June -Missouri (June 1st), Notre Dame (June 15th, and Michigan (June 22nd) and the St. Louis prospect took home MVP honors at running back.
I did a video interview with Williams myself and here some of the takeaways from that conversation:
- He's in contact with Barry Odom and Cornell Ford on a daily basis
- He reiterated the fact that Missouri was a dream school of his growing up and attending games
- Williams specifically mentioned Dooley and the impression he made on him once he became a part of the staff and how he wants to use him on offense.
- Has a lot of high school friends that attend Missouri
- Wants to ideally commit to school August 26th silently and not go public until October 12th, which is his father's birthday
- Wants to see Missouri from a player's perspective during his official visit
I didn't watch all of Williams' reps during 1-on-1's, but I watched quite a few and the combination of footwork, quickness, and ability to stop and change direction on a dime made it easy for him to separate from defenders all day long. As the kids say, he broke a couple of ankles.
Onto offensive line target Jack Buford, who had a very solid showing during the 1-on-1 portion of camp today and sounds like he's in the running to potentially get an invite to the 5-Star Challenge in June.
Some takeaways from my conversation with Buford:
- Just took an OV to Arkansas, he said both him and his family loved it and said it was what you would expect an official visit to be like.
- I mentioned other visits he plans on taking in the future, he mentioned Auburn, Texas, and Missouri as May/June destinations. Although, he said he wasn't sure if his Missouri trip would be an official yet, but he's planning to visit again regardless.
- Buford said he would like to be committed before his season, around August but is playing it by ear currently. Sounds like he might keep some OV's in his pocket for the fall if needed.
- He said Missouri is doing a great job of recruiting him, mentioned Brad Davis, Odom, and Dooley and their emphasis on in-state recruiting.
- Loves Davis' approach to recruiting him and that it doesn't really feel like a recruiting relationship but more of a friendship
- Wants to focus on more of the academics at Missouri when he visits again
Other notes:
- I caught up with Jack Baltz today. He's a quarterback Missouri is keeping an eye on and will visit in June to throw for the coaching staff. I watched five of his throws today and was impressed with his arm strength and accuracy, especially on his deep throws. Not every ball was caught by the receivers, but Baltz put them where only the receiver could make a play on the ball.
- I also chatted with 2020 offensive line target Jalen St. John out of Trinity Catholic, who picked up a Missouri offer earlier this spring during a junior day visit. I'd say he had more wins than losses during 1-on-1's, but he has a lot of potential and really paid attention and learned from the coaches and got better as they day went on. St. John mentioned Missouri being a dream school of his growing up and says they will be among his top schools going forward regardless. He said he intends to visit Kansas, Nebraska, and Notre Dame this summer. He also said he'll be back at Missouri for Night at the Zou.
- Other notable performers from the St. Louis area I noticed today included 2020 running back and Missouri target Mookie Cooper, who has a solid frame and showed off some quickness running routes. Another 2020 prospect I saw that had a couple of good reps during 1-on-1's was Cardinal Ritter defensive end Joe Moore.
I did a video interview with Williams myself and here some of the takeaways from that conversation:
- He's in contact with Barry Odom and Cornell Ford on a daily basis
- He reiterated the fact that Missouri was a dream school of his growing up and attending games
- Williams specifically mentioned Dooley and the impression he made on him once he became a part of the staff and how he wants to use him on offense.
- Has a lot of high school friends that attend Missouri
- Wants to ideally commit to school August 26th silently and not go public until October 12th, which is his father's birthday
- Wants to see Missouri from a player's perspective during his official visit
I didn't watch all of Williams' reps during 1-on-1's, but I watched quite a few and the combination of footwork, quickness, and ability to stop and change direction on a dime made it easy for him to separate from defenders all day long. As the kids say, he broke a couple of ankles.
Onto offensive line target Jack Buford, who had a very solid showing during the 1-on-1 portion of camp today and sounds like he's in the running to potentially get an invite to the 5-Star Challenge in June.
Some takeaways from my conversation with Buford:
- Just took an OV to Arkansas, he said both him and his family loved it and said it was what you would expect an official visit to be like.
- I mentioned other visits he plans on taking in the future, he mentioned Auburn, Texas, and Missouri as May/June destinations. Although, he said he wasn't sure if his Missouri trip would be an official yet, but he's planning to visit again regardless.
- Buford said he would like to be committed before his season, around August but is playing it by ear currently. Sounds like he might keep some OV's in his pocket for the fall if needed.
- He said Missouri is doing a great job of recruiting him, mentioned Brad Davis, Odom, and Dooley and their emphasis on in-state recruiting.
- Loves Davis' approach to recruiting him and that it doesn't really feel like a recruiting relationship but more of a friendship
- Wants to focus on more of the academics at Missouri when he visits again
Other notes:
- I caught up with Jack Baltz today. He's a quarterback Missouri is keeping an eye on and will visit in June to throw for the coaching staff. I watched five of his throws today and was impressed with his arm strength and accuracy, especially on his deep throws. Not every ball was caught by the receivers, but Baltz put them where only the receiver could make a play on the ball.
- I also chatted with 2020 offensive line target Jalen St. John out of Trinity Catholic, who picked up a Missouri offer earlier this spring during a junior day visit. I'd say he had more wins than losses during 1-on-1's, but he has a lot of potential and really paid attention and learned from the coaches and got better as they day went on. St. John mentioned Missouri being a dream school of his growing up and says they will be among his top schools going forward regardless. He said he intends to visit Kansas, Nebraska, and Notre Dame this summer. He also said he'll be back at Missouri for Night at the Zou.
- Other notable performers from the St. Louis area I noticed today included 2020 running back and Missouri target Mookie Cooper, who has a solid frame and showed off some quickness running routes. Another 2020 prospect I saw that had a couple of good reps during 1-on-1's was Cardinal Ritter defensive end Joe Moore.
