Shaun Terry II bolted around practice Thursday with something to prove. Battling an injury during in his first patted workouts with Missouri, he looked to earn his number before spring break.
Terry, an early enrollee from the 2025 signing class, impressed just the right person with his efforts. Ace Alston, a four-star cornerback in the Class of 2027, was on his second visit in the past three months, and being from Ohio, he had his eyes fixed on Terry.
"That's my boy," Alston said. "I got to talk to him for a little bit. We just talked about how he likes Mizzou. He told me that he's loving up there. He wouldn't rather be nowhere else. He's definitely not lying."
Alston, the No. 68 recruit in the Rivals250, played against Terry in a scrimmage ahead of his sophomore season at Cincinnati (Ohio) Anderson. As the Tigers pushed for Terry's commitment, they also found Alston, who emerged as another top Ohio target for the program.
"I wouldn't say it surprised me, because the way they're staying on me and building the relationship," Alston said about Missouri being a top school in his recruitment. "It's truly a family. Any coach can tell you anything on the phone, but he really has to show you what he's about when you get on campus, and I feel like Mizzou really showed me that. I'm really liking it down there, and it's really a brotherhood."
Returning to Missouri for his second visit, Alston sat in a meeting with assistant head coach and cornerbacks coach Al Pogue to go over film and how he'd fit into the Tigers' scheme.
Pogue's experience in getting corners to the NFL and the energy he boasts have pushed Missouri up the board for Alston. Additionally, Pogue, a native of Alabama, used his connections once again in recruiting, even with a prospect from Ohio.
"We figured out on the first visit we went up there, (Pogue and my father) are both from the same hometown," Alston said. "They're just cracking up the whole meeting. They really just see each other, and they can be like best friends, if they really just sit down and get to know each other and keep bonding. And I feel like that would be a coach to look after me, not only on the field, but off the field too, if I end up going there."
Sitting in with head coach Eli Drinkwitz, Alston learned tips about recruiting, a repeated note from March visitors. Drinkwitz hammered home that the decision belongs to Alston at the end of the day, not anyone else.
"He told me and my parents that my parents can't decide where I go. ... I have to decide," Alston said, "because I'm going to be the one waking up at six o'clock in the morning, going to the workouts. I'm going to be the one in the meetings. He just told me, 'Make sure you choose where you you feel loved and where a coach is not only going to watch over you on the field but off the field.'"
A consistent staffer in Alston's recruitment, offensive assistant Brendan Boylan, the primary recruiter for Ohio, picked up Alston from his hotel ahead of his visit and stuck around the remainder of the day with the family.
Alston has visualized himself in a Missouri uniform, but with it being early in his recruitment, he's kept his ears open to many other programs as he will embark on a busy spring break in the coming weeks, visiting Alabama, Auburn, Maryland, Michigan, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas A&M, UCLA and USC.
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Terry, an early enrollee from the 2025 signing class, impressed just the right person with his efforts. Ace Alston, a four-star cornerback in the Class of 2027, was on his second visit in the past three months, and being from Ohio, he had his eyes fixed on Terry.
"That's my boy," Alston said. "I got to talk to him for a little bit. We just talked about how he likes Mizzou. He told me that he's loving up there. He wouldn't rather be nowhere else. He's definitely not lying."
Alston, the No. 68 recruit in the Rivals250, played against Terry in a scrimmage ahead of his sophomore season at Cincinnati (Ohio) Anderson. As the Tigers pushed for Terry's commitment, they also found Alston, who emerged as another top Ohio target for the program.
"I wouldn't say it surprised me, because the way they're staying on me and building the relationship," Alston said about Missouri being a top school in his recruitment. "It's truly a family. Any coach can tell you anything on the phone, but he really has to show you what he's about when you get on campus, and I feel like Mizzou really showed me that. I'm really liking it down there, and it's really a brotherhood."
Returning to Missouri for his second visit, Alston sat in a meeting with assistant head coach and cornerbacks coach Al Pogue to go over film and how he'd fit into the Tigers' scheme.
Pogue's experience in getting corners to the NFL and the energy he boasts have pushed Missouri up the board for Alston. Additionally, Pogue, a native of Alabama, used his connections once again in recruiting, even with a prospect from Ohio.
"We figured out on the first visit we went up there, (Pogue and my father) are both from the same hometown," Alston said. "They're just cracking up the whole meeting. They really just see each other, and they can be like best friends, if they really just sit down and get to know each other and keep bonding. And I feel like that would be a coach to look after me, not only on the field, but off the field too, if I end up going there."
Sitting in with head coach Eli Drinkwitz, Alston learned tips about recruiting, a repeated note from March visitors. Drinkwitz hammered home that the decision belongs to Alston at the end of the day, not anyone else.
"He told me and my parents that my parents can't decide where I go. ... I have to decide," Alston said, "because I'm going to be the one waking up at six o'clock in the morning, going to the workouts. I'm going to be the one in the meetings. He just told me, 'Make sure you choose where you you feel loved and where a coach is not only going to watch over you on the field but off the field.'"
A consistent staffer in Alston's recruitment, offensive assistant Brendan Boylan, the primary recruiter for Ohio, picked up Alston from his hotel ahead of his visit and stuck around the remainder of the day with the family.
Alston has visualized himself in a Missouri uniform, but with it being early in his recruitment, he's kept his ears open to many other programs as he will embark on a busy spring break in the coming weeks, visiting Alabama, Auburn, Maryland, Michigan, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas A&M, UCLA and USC.
Top Ohio target Ace Alston dives into Mizzou visit, seeing Shaun Terry II
Shaun Terry II earned his number, and there was no better person than Ace Alston to be at Missouri to see it.
