All right, well, the first and only rule of The Chamber is that you keep it in The Chamber. That’s why it’s called The Chamber. It’s locked and all. Pretty clever huh?
Anyway, on to the good stuff and it’s all football recruiting, because at this point, that’s what you guys want. Here are the visitors I know about, one by one, with some comments from me:
Will Compton: You all know the situation here. The most recent things I’ve seen on Compton lead me to believe Missouri is in better shape than I had maybe thought. I stopped long ago trying to predict what is going to happen with Compton, though.
Michael Egnew: I have finally tracked down a working number on this kid. Brian is going to get in touch with him as soon as we’ve talked to all the uncommitted visitors.
Kenji Jackson: Missouri and Kansas are his top two. He visited KU last week and did not commit. He told Brian if he likes what he sees he could pull the trigger this weekend. I wouldn’t be all that surprised to see some breaking news concerning Mr. Jackson on Sunday.
Brad Madison: You know all about this kid already. Solid as a rock.
Travis Ruth: See above.
George White and Rolandis Woodland: Still expecting these guys here in January, but we will make sure to check in with them next week.
Ugo Okpara: Not sure what to think of this one. But it’s good that Missouri is getting him on campus. That always gives you a shot. And the fact that Missouri has backed off a couple of other defensive backs (like Greg Brown, Terran Benton and Bryce Beall) may be an indication the staff thinks it has a decent shot.
Jeremy Sanders: First of all, I just really don’t think this kid is a quarterback. Missouri will give him his shot, because that’s what they do, but I think you get him on campus and just see where he fits. And given the rest of the schools he’s looking at, I’m not sure why Missouri wouldn’t be in the lead. He told me he’d take all his visits, but it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he didn’t.
Lester Ward: Ahhhh, wouldn’t be a Chamber without a little surprise, now would it? Yes, the Baylor commitment will be on campus this weekend. That’s all I got out of him before he told me his other line was ringing and he had to go, but he did confirm he’s making the trip. I’ll track him down on Sunday. With the coaching switch at Baylor, you just never know. This is a kid Missouri has been on for a long time. At 6-foot-3, 186, he is listed as a running back. But he’s a receiver made to put on 15 pounds and play in the spread offense.
That’s all I know for sure will be here. Have heard some rumblings that due to school obligations Drew Temple may not make it in this weekend. Not to worry there, though. Also, could there be another guy we don’t know about? It’s possible. If it happens, I will know. This is why I like bowl practices on Saturday morning. I don’t so much watch the team as make sure I know who all the recruits are.
Andrew Jones will be coming down Saturday afternoon to do some recruiting. Robert Steeples said he might. Speaking of Steeples, he had an in home visit with Gary Pinkel and Cornell Ford on Thursday night.
Josh Williams also had an in home with three Tiger coaches this week, on Wednesday night. Told Brian it went well, but didn’t really give any indication as to how it affected things. However, I think it’s good that the Tiger coaches got in after Nebraska’s.
Another in-home went to Will Compton. He told Brian it was good. I’ve never heard a kid say an in-home visit wasn’t good.
Another visit was made to Dan Hoch, at a basketball game. We haven’t been able to reach Hoch to check in, but that kind of commitment can make an impact on kids.
Other players we know got looks from Missouri coaches this week: Andrew Jones, Aldon Smith, Drew Temple (and it can’t hurt to bump into Nathan Scheelhaase while you’re there), T.J. Moe, Ronnie Wingo. On Wingo, we hear Missouri is in good shape and the family would LOVE for the kid to play close to home. If the Tigers can get him and Scheelhaase, they’ve got the top four in 2009. That’s strong.
Also, had a couple people contact me asking if I’d heard that Blaine Gabbert was looking at Nebraska again. I’ve heard it. And it’s complete crap. His mom told me he hadn’t talked to anyone at Nebraska since the new staff came on. He’s going to sign with Missouri.
Hoops name for you: There is a 6-foot-5 wing player named Ivo Baltic at Park Hill South. He’s a junior (so class of 2009). I’ve been told Mike Anderson is supposed to watch him play this week. Not sure how serious the interest is, but it’s a name to add to the watch list.
That’s all I’ve got for now. Gonna be a WILD Sunday. You know where the news will hit. Thanks again to Brian for contributing plenty to this report.
Anyway, on to the good stuff and it’s all football recruiting, because at this point, that’s what you guys want. Here are the visitors I know about, one by one, with some comments from me:
Will Compton: You all know the situation here. The most recent things I’ve seen on Compton lead me to believe Missouri is in better shape than I had maybe thought. I stopped long ago trying to predict what is going to happen with Compton, though.
Michael Egnew: I have finally tracked down a working number on this kid. Brian is going to get in touch with him as soon as we’ve talked to all the uncommitted visitors.
Kenji Jackson: Missouri and Kansas are his top two. He visited KU last week and did not commit. He told Brian if he likes what he sees he could pull the trigger this weekend. I wouldn’t be all that surprised to see some breaking news concerning Mr. Jackson on Sunday.
Brad Madison: You know all about this kid already. Solid as a rock.
Travis Ruth: See above.
George White and Rolandis Woodland: Still expecting these guys here in January, but we will make sure to check in with them next week.
Ugo Okpara: Not sure what to think of this one. But it’s good that Missouri is getting him on campus. That always gives you a shot. And the fact that Missouri has backed off a couple of other defensive backs (like Greg Brown, Terran Benton and Bryce Beall) may be an indication the staff thinks it has a decent shot.
Jeremy Sanders: First of all, I just really don’t think this kid is a quarterback. Missouri will give him his shot, because that’s what they do, but I think you get him on campus and just see where he fits. And given the rest of the schools he’s looking at, I’m not sure why Missouri wouldn’t be in the lead. He told me he’d take all his visits, but it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he didn’t.
Lester Ward: Ahhhh, wouldn’t be a Chamber without a little surprise, now would it? Yes, the Baylor commitment will be on campus this weekend. That’s all I got out of him before he told me his other line was ringing and he had to go, but he did confirm he’s making the trip. I’ll track him down on Sunday. With the coaching switch at Baylor, you just never know. This is a kid Missouri has been on for a long time. At 6-foot-3, 186, he is listed as a running back. But he’s a receiver made to put on 15 pounds and play in the spread offense.
That’s all I know for sure will be here. Have heard some rumblings that due to school obligations Drew Temple may not make it in this weekend. Not to worry there, though. Also, could there be another guy we don’t know about? It’s possible. If it happens, I will know. This is why I like bowl practices on Saturday morning. I don’t so much watch the team as make sure I know who all the recruits are.
Andrew Jones will be coming down Saturday afternoon to do some recruiting. Robert Steeples said he might. Speaking of Steeples, he had an in home visit with Gary Pinkel and Cornell Ford on Thursday night.
Josh Williams also had an in home with three Tiger coaches this week, on Wednesday night. Told Brian it went well, but didn’t really give any indication as to how it affected things. However, I think it’s good that the Tiger coaches got in after Nebraska’s.
Another in-home went to Will Compton. He told Brian it was good. I’ve never heard a kid say an in-home visit wasn’t good.
Another visit was made to Dan Hoch, at a basketball game. We haven’t been able to reach Hoch to check in, but that kind of commitment can make an impact on kids.
Other players we know got looks from Missouri coaches this week: Andrew Jones, Aldon Smith, Drew Temple (and it can’t hurt to bump into Nathan Scheelhaase while you’re there), T.J. Moe, Ronnie Wingo. On Wingo, we hear Missouri is in good shape and the family would LOVE for the kid to play close to home. If the Tigers can get him and Scheelhaase, they’ve got the top four in 2009. That’s strong.
Also, had a couple people contact me asking if I’d heard that Blaine Gabbert was looking at Nebraska again. I’ve heard it. And it’s complete crap. His mom told me he hadn’t talked to anyone at Nebraska since the new staff came on. He’s going to sign with Missouri.
Hoops name for you: There is a 6-foot-5 wing player named Ivo Baltic at Park Hill South. He’s a junior (so class of 2009). I’ve been told Mike Anderson is supposed to watch him play this week. Not sure how serious the interest is, but it’s a name to add to the watch list.
That’s all I’ve got for now. Gonna be a WILD Sunday. You know where the news will hit. Thanks again to Brian for contributing plenty to this report.
