For the next couple of months, Pete is going to be the star of the show. He's taken over our football recruiting coverage and he's got a handle on what's going on with the kids on Missouri's radar. Here is his scoop for the week:
-- I'll start off this week with information on one of the two Illinois commits showing interest in Missouri. On Thursday, Daniel Easterlyhttp://rivals.yahoo.com/missouri/football/recruiting/player-Daniel-Easterly-92047 hosted Missouri coach Craig Kuligowski on an in-home visit. Easterly said the visit went well, and -- most importantly -- his mom was impressed with Kuligowski.
"My mom said Coach Kul seemed like the most honest coach she's come across," Easterly said. "It's good to have Mom's approval."
Mom knows coaches, too. Easterly has two older siblings who both play college ball. His oldest brother plays at Wayne State, and his second
oldest brother plays at Indiana State. He said his mom has met a coach or two during the recruitment of his brothers, so a compliment like that, coming from his mother, means a lot.
Still, Easterly claims Missouri and Illinois are even in his eyes.
"I'm gonna say they're equal," Easterly said. "Because I don't want to eliminate anybody right now."
Easterly told me he has a timetable set for his final decision. He's visiting Illinois on an official visit next weekend, and said his decision will come shortly thereafter.
In my opinion, Missouri seems to have jumped to the top spot for Easterly. Not only do the Tigers have Mom's approval, but Easterly is actually from Missouri originally. He was born in Tennessee, Missouri.
-- Now, the coaches visited Dexter McDonaldhttp://rivals.yahoo.com/missouri/football/recruiting/player-Dexter-McDonald-97260 on Thursday night, and I was supposed to talk to me but did not return my calls. I wonder, however, if the Tigers would take McDonald over Easterly. At this point, it is tough to guess if the Tigers have room to take both of them. McDonald is visiting on Dec. 18, and Easterly could be committed by then. Hopefully I'll hear from McDonald on Friday.
-- With the resignation of Mark Mangino, I texted Bud Sasserhttp://rivals.yahoo.com/missouri/football/recruiting/player-Bud-Sasser-89130 to see if that eliminates Kansas from his final three. Here was the response I got back:
"I'm not sure right now. I'm probably going to cancel my visit there."
Seems to me like the Jayhawks are out of the race. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, but I truly believe Sasser ends up in Columbia.
-- Missouri coach Josh Henson visited Mike Douglashttp://rivals.yahoo.com/missouri/football/recruiting/player-Mike-Douglas-97291' high school on Monday, and Douglas told me Henson is making an in-home visit next week. I previously believed the coaches cooled on Douglas, but now they are obviously interested again. Douglas said he's visiting Missouri on Dec. 11, and is visiting Indiana this weekend and then Iowa after Missouri. He said he's very interested in the Tigers.
"They want me as a defensive end," Douglas said. "But they've said I could move to tight end or linebacker too."
Douglas said Missouri likes his flexibility, and he likes the fact that the Tigers would give him a shot at multiple positions. He said he wants to wait till he takes all his visits, but will make a decision before Christmas.
-- A quick note on Marcus Murphyhttp://rivals.yahoo.com/missouri/football/recruiting/player-Marcus-Murphy-80879, who will visit on Dec. 11. He said he wants to take all his visits, but I asked him what happens if he's blown away on the visit.
"Well, if that happens, I'd commit then," Murphy said.
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So, that's what the kids are saying. How do things look from Missouri's end? I thought I'd take a look at that. I've heard there are anywhere between two and six spots left in this class. Let's crunch the numbers quickly:
The Tigers have 16 commitments, so the 25-scholarship limit for a single class is of no concern whatsoever. But, remember, Missouri is losing a very, very small senior class. Here is what the Tigers have returning next year:
Seniors: 12 (including Jeff Gettys, but not including Forrest Shock. I don't believe Shock is on scholarship, but if he is, this number becomes 13)
Juniors: 24 (including Josh Tatum, who I'm assuming will end up getting an extra year at the end of next season, and Grant Ressel who is on scholarship going forward)
Sophomores: 16
Redshirt Freshmen: 13
Adding Chris Freeman and Ty Phillips to the 16 current commitments, Missouri already has 83 scholarships spoken for heading into next year. Now, if you assume every single commitment (plus Phillips and Freeman) qualifies and no current scholarship player leaves the team, that means Mizzou has two ships available. Of course, we never assume that. You always guess a couple kids won't make it and you also assume three to five are going to leave the program. At the upper level, Missouri could have as many as seven spots left. But I don't think you can operate with the assumption you have seven because if kids end up making it that you think won't, or if only one or two kids transfers out, you're stuck not having a scholarship for somebody to whom you have promised one. So, we're going to guess Missouri has at most five available spots.
So how are those spots handled? There is only one kid who CLEARLY has a scholarship for as long as he wants it and that's Tyler Gabberthttp://rivals.yahoo.com/missouri/football/recruiting/player-Tyler-Gabbert-78920 do too (only my opinion) but I don't anticipate either of those kids stretching their decisions into January. Gabbert may already have a final decision (I think he's probably going to Nebraska), but if he doesn't, it won't take more than another couple of weeks. I think Sasser will decide after he visits Missouri, but due to the Texas playoffs, that may not be until early January at this point.
The rest of the list would include the guys Pete touched on above and I'll throw Brandon Bourbonhttp://rivals.yahoo.com/missouri/football/recruiting/player-Brandon-Bourbon-96257 in there as well. He'll probably end up with Stanford, but I'm not convinced the door is closed until National Signing Day.
So, what that all means is if Missouri gets Lucas and Sasser and does not get Gabbert, the Tigers probably have two or three spots to be claimed by the following players:
Easterly
McDonald
Murphy
Bourbon
Douglas
Corey Mosleyhttp://rivals.yahoo.com/missouri/football/recruiting/player-Corey-Mosley-98723
Dominique Joneshttp://rivals.yahoo.com/missouri/football/recruiting/player-Dominique-Jones-77813
I think Murphy is the closest to a sure thing on this list. He's had Missouri on top forever. That means two spots for the rest of the list. Missouri seems to be in very good shape with Easterly, McDonald, Jones and Mosley. Douglas is a little more of an unknown in my opinion. Bottom line, if the players in that group want a spot, they'd probably better jump on it fairly soon.
*Wanted to quickly touch on the situation with Kansas. As Pete mentioned above, the Jayhawks are out of it for Sasser. But what happens if Kansas hires Jim Harbaugh? I'm telling you it's possible. If that happens, does it open the door for the Jayhawks with Lucas? I don't think so. Lucas' mom played at Missouri. He never really entertained Kansas. I think the draw to Stanford has more to do with Stanford than with Harbaugh. I do think it might draw Kansas into the mix with Bourbon a little bit. But if Bourbon switches, I think it's too Missouri. So, to be honest, the hiring of Harbaugh in Lawrence might actually benefit the Tigers in the very short term.
That's it for this week. No basketball recruiting because the simple fact of the matter is, the next signing period is nearly a year away. With only one scholarship available right now, it's too far out to know who the very top target is, though I've heard name Devin Langfordhttp://rivals.yahoo.com/missouri/basketball/recruiting/player-Devin-Langford-104303 from someone familiar with Missouri recruiting as an emerging prospect the Tigers like.
Again, the Chamber is for subscribers to the site. Let's keep it here. Nobody keeps you up to date on Missouri recruiting like PowerMizzou.com, so let's not go giving the information away to others for free.
-- I'll start off this week with information on one of the two Illinois commits showing interest in Missouri. On Thursday, Daniel Easterlyhttp://rivals.yahoo.com/missouri/football/recruiting/player-Daniel-Easterly-92047 hosted Missouri coach Craig Kuligowski on an in-home visit. Easterly said the visit went well, and -- most importantly -- his mom was impressed with Kuligowski.
"My mom said Coach Kul seemed like the most honest coach she's come across," Easterly said. "It's good to have Mom's approval."
Mom knows coaches, too. Easterly has two older siblings who both play college ball. His oldest brother plays at Wayne State, and his second
oldest brother plays at Indiana State. He said his mom has met a coach or two during the recruitment of his brothers, so a compliment like that, coming from his mother, means a lot.
Still, Easterly claims Missouri and Illinois are even in his eyes.
"I'm gonna say they're equal," Easterly said. "Because I don't want to eliminate anybody right now."
Easterly told me he has a timetable set for his final decision. He's visiting Illinois on an official visit next weekend, and said his decision will come shortly thereafter.
In my opinion, Missouri seems to have jumped to the top spot for Easterly. Not only do the Tigers have Mom's approval, but Easterly is actually from Missouri originally. He was born in Tennessee, Missouri.
-- Now, the coaches visited Dexter McDonaldhttp://rivals.yahoo.com/missouri/football/recruiting/player-Dexter-McDonald-97260 on Thursday night, and I was supposed to talk to me but did not return my calls. I wonder, however, if the Tigers would take McDonald over Easterly. At this point, it is tough to guess if the Tigers have room to take both of them. McDonald is visiting on Dec. 18, and Easterly could be committed by then. Hopefully I'll hear from McDonald on Friday.
-- With the resignation of Mark Mangino, I texted Bud Sasserhttp://rivals.yahoo.com/missouri/football/recruiting/player-Bud-Sasser-89130 to see if that eliminates Kansas from his final three. Here was the response I got back:
"I'm not sure right now. I'm probably going to cancel my visit there."
Seems to me like the Jayhawks are out of the race. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, but I truly believe Sasser ends up in Columbia.
-- Missouri coach Josh Henson visited Mike Douglashttp://rivals.yahoo.com/missouri/football/recruiting/player-Mike-Douglas-97291' high school on Monday, and Douglas told me Henson is making an in-home visit next week. I previously believed the coaches cooled on Douglas, but now they are obviously interested again. Douglas said he's visiting Missouri on Dec. 11, and is visiting Indiana this weekend and then Iowa after Missouri. He said he's very interested in the Tigers.
"They want me as a defensive end," Douglas said. "But they've said I could move to tight end or linebacker too."
Douglas said Missouri likes his flexibility, and he likes the fact that the Tigers would give him a shot at multiple positions. He said he wants to wait till he takes all his visits, but will make a decision before Christmas.
-- A quick note on Marcus Murphyhttp://rivals.yahoo.com/missouri/football/recruiting/player-Marcus-Murphy-80879, who will visit on Dec. 11. He said he wants to take all his visits, but I asked him what happens if he's blown away on the visit.
"Well, if that happens, I'd commit then," Murphy said.
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So, that's what the kids are saying. How do things look from Missouri's end? I thought I'd take a look at that. I've heard there are anywhere between two and six spots left in this class. Let's crunch the numbers quickly:
The Tigers have 16 commitments, so the 25-scholarship limit for a single class is of no concern whatsoever. But, remember, Missouri is losing a very, very small senior class. Here is what the Tigers have returning next year:
Seniors: 12 (including Jeff Gettys, but not including Forrest Shock. I don't believe Shock is on scholarship, but if he is, this number becomes 13)
Juniors: 24 (including Josh Tatum, who I'm assuming will end up getting an extra year at the end of next season, and Grant Ressel who is on scholarship going forward)
Sophomores: 16
Redshirt Freshmen: 13
Adding Chris Freeman and Ty Phillips to the 16 current commitments, Missouri already has 83 scholarships spoken for heading into next year. Now, if you assume every single commitment (plus Phillips and Freeman) qualifies and no current scholarship player leaves the team, that means Mizzou has two ships available. Of course, we never assume that. You always guess a couple kids won't make it and you also assume three to five are going to leave the program. At the upper level, Missouri could have as many as seven spots left. But I don't think you can operate with the assumption you have seven because if kids end up making it that you think won't, or if only one or two kids transfers out, you're stuck not having a scholarship for somebody to whom you have promised one. So, we're going to guess Missouri has at most five available spots.
So how are those spots handled? There is only one kid who CLEARLY has a scholarship for as long as he wants it and that's Tyler Gabberthttp://rivals.yahoo.com/missouri/football/recruiting/player-Tyler-Gabbert-78920 do too (only my opinion) but I don't anticipate either of those kids stretching their decisions into January. Gabbert may already have a final decision (I think he's probably going to Nebraska), but if he doesn't, it won't take more than another couple of weeks. I think Sasser will decide after he visits Missouri, but due to the Texas playoffs, that may not be until early January at this point.
The rest of the list would include the guys Pete touched on above and I'll throw Brandon Bourbonhttp://rivals.yahoo.com/missouri/football/recruiting/player-Brandon-Bourbon-96257 in there as well. He'll probably end up with Stanford, but I'm not convinced the door is closed until National Signing Day.
So, what that all means is if Missouri gets Lucas and Sasser and does not get Gabbert, the Tigers probably have two or three spots to be claimed by the following players:
Easterly
McDonald
Murphy
Bourbon
Douglas
Corey Mosleyhttp://rivals.yahoo.com/missouri/football/recruiting/player-Corey-Mosley-98723
Dominique Joneshttp://rivals.yahoo.com/missouri/football/recruiting/player-Dominique-Jones-77813
I think Murphy is the closest to a sure thing on this list. He's had Missouri on top forever. That means two spots for the rest of the list. Missouri seems to be in very good shape with Easterly, McDonald, Jones and Mosley. Douglas is a little more of an unknown in my opinion. Bottom line, if the players in that group want a spot, they'd probably better jump on it fairly soon.
*Wanted to quickly touch on the situation with Kansas. As Pete mentioned above, the Jayhawks are out of it for Sasser. But what happens if Kansas hires Jim Harbaugh? I'm telling you it's possible. If that happens, does it open the door for the Jayhawks with Lucas? I don't think so. Lucas' mom played at Missouri. He never really entertained Kansas. I think the draw to Stanford has more to do with Stanford than with Harbaugh. I do think it might draw Kansas into the mix with Bourbon a little bit. But if Bourbon switches, I think it's too Missouri. So, to be honest, the hiring of Harbaugh in Lawrence might actually benefit the Tigers in the very short term.
That's it for this week. No basketball recruiting because the simple fact of the matter is, the next signing period is nearly a year away. With only one scholarship available right now, it's too far out to know who the very top target is, though I've heard name Devin Langfordhttp://rivals.yahoo.com/missouri/basketball/recruiting/player-Devin-Langford-104303 from someone familiar with Missouri recruiting as an emerging prospect the Tigers like.
Again, the Chamber is for subscribers to the site. Let's keep it here. Nobody keeps you up to date on Missouri recruiting like PowerMizzou.com, so let's not go giving the information away to others for free.
