We are proud to welcome Billiards on Broadway back for another year as our partner and the presenting sponsor of the juiciest dish on PowerMizzou. If you're looking for the inside scoop on Mizzou recruiting, The Chamber is the place. If you're looking for the best burger in Columbia, Billiards on Broadway is your go-to. A great place to watch a game, play some pool and pair a great local beer selection with one of Columbia's best meals. Local sports, Local beer, Local food--all under one roof at Billiards!
A quick reminder to start: There are 52 weeks in the year. They aren't all jam-packed with action. With the way the calendar is currently constructed, December and the first half of January are packed with action. But the second half of January and February are generally pretty quiet outside of junior days. Missouri is likely done in the 2024 recruiting class until the spring portal window opens up on April 16 (it will stay open through April 30).
No visitors for Missouri this weekend, but the program has been getting rave reviews from numerous top-tier targets that were on campus last weekend for the Tigers' big Jr. Day.
PowerMizzou.com recaps the action below.
- Five-star OL Michael Fasusi told Rivals.com national recruiting director Adam Gorney that the brotherhood between the players and coaches really stood out during his visit. "Their message was very clear. They see me as a program-changer and they want me to be the best I can possibly be at Mizzou," Fasusi told Gorney. Before visiting Missouri, Fasusi took a Jr. Day visit to Texas A&M. Texas, Oklahoma, Oregon, Ohio State, USC and others also remain in the mix for the No. 12 player in the 2025 class.
- Missouri appeared to make a big move for four-star WR Dillon Alfred during his visit, noting the brotherhood between coaches and players along with his relationship with WR coach Jacob Peeler and how the Tigers' offense utilizes their wideouts. Tennessee, Georgia, and South Carolina are other schools currently in the mix, but the Tigers took a huge step forward in his recruitment coming off the visit.
- In-state QB target Dillon Duff was also back at Missouri last weekend and got to learn more from Kirby Moore about his offensive strategy. The three-star is coming off a big junior season, has been a frequent visitor to Missouri, and has family members that have also played for the Tigers. It seems he's one of Missouri's top-tier QB targets in the 2025 class along with Brennen Ward from Ohio, who was also at Missouri over the weekend.
- RB target Lucas Farrington also made a return trip to CoMo last weekend after initially visiting Missouri for the LSU game back in October. RB coach Curtis Luper is playing a key role in his recruiting process and Mizzou seems to be in the driver's seat early on. He'll visit Georgia Tech this weekend as Louisville, Colorado, and Miami are other schools in the mix.
- Four-star OLB Dawson Merritt told us that his Jr. Day visit with Mizzou was "probably my favorite visit I've been on." Merritt visited for a game earlier this season and is very familiar with the program, he is also the son of Kansas City Chiefs defensive backs coach Dave Merritt.
- Four-star OL Christian Thatcher visited from Las Vegas, but his Mom grew up in the Kansas City area and he's got a lot of family still in the area. He revved about his time on campus and plans to return in the spring and take an official with the Tigers in the summer.
- Another LB target to watch is Coleman Lewis, who visited for a game in November and returned this past weekend. He told us he had another great visit with Missouri and their staff, they are one of his top schools, and he plans to return again in the spring.
- Sticking with the LB theme, Missouri also hosted Josiah Broxton, an underrated target out of Tallahassee, Florida. Broxton loved the visit, said Missouri had the best facilities he's ever seen and loved the energy of the coaching staff. Broxton had a monster junior season, where he racked up 124 tackles. Syracuse and Liberty are his only other offers, but that will likely change during the spring.
- In-state TE target Daeden Hopkins also returned to Missouri over the weekend and told us he has the Tigers toward the top of his list. While Mizzou likes him at TE, others are recruiting him at DE. He will make a return trip to Iowa State on Feb. 3rd.
- Missouri also hosted Chicagoland targets Jovan Clark and Andre Lovett this past weekend. Clark said he enjoyed his visit and plans to return again in the spring for a practice. Lovett was talking with Blake Baker before he took the LSU job, but has been chopping it up with Al Pogue since. Lovett said he's anxious to see who Mizzou hires as their new defensive coordinator and who takes over as their safeties coach as well. He also loved the visit and hopes to return to campus soon.
- Four-star DB and East St. Louis product Charles Bass was also back at Missouri over the weekend and things seem to be in a great spot between him and the coaching staff. Cornerbacks coach Al Pogue is leading the charge with Bass, who told us his relationship with Mizzou is "strong." He also got to spend a lot of time with head coach Eli Drinkwitz as well.
- Out of all the Jr. Day visitors, 2025 three-star OL Will Tompkins was the only one to pick up a new offer during his visit. The Tigers joined an offer list that also includes Minnesota, K-State, Kansas, Illinois, Iowa State, Nebraska, Penn State, and Tennessee.
- On the basketball side, recruiting won't really pick back up until the portal opens. It opens on Monday, March 18 and stays open until May 1. Assuming John Tonje uses a medical redshirt and every scholarship player who is eligible to return does so, Missouri only has one spot for the spring portal. That will almost certainly change. What the Tigers will need depends on what they lose and what's available. There's no way to start speculating two months before the portal even opens on specific players. But Mizzou will certainly be active in the portal when the time comes.
If anything happens, we'll keep you updated, including any movement on Mizzou's search for a defensive coordinator, which, as has been the case for quite some time now, could happen at anytime, though we have no indications anything is imminent.
