We have been hard at work, both on the road and on the phones, digging up all we can on the recruiting trail in both sports. Beginning next week, we'll have plenty in the Chamber on the football team, but this is one final look at the way things are shaping up on both recruiting trails prior to camp starting up. We'll start with Pete's take on the football class:
Out of the race for Bourbon
I texted back and forth with Potosi RB Brandon Bourbon, and he confirmed what many have believed for the past few months:
Missouri is no longer in the race.
Honestly, this isn't a big surprise. Sure, part of it may have to do with the time it took the Tigers to offer (although Kansas was the first to offer and isn't in the mix either), part of it could have to do with Missouri being the only school to offer him as an athlete and not as a RB. But, the main thing this comes down to is academics. Missouri is a fantastic school, and Bourbon said he realizes that, but he wants to get what he considers the best degree possible.
It honestly looks like it'll come down to Stanford and Harvard. He talked about how cool it would be to live in California or Boston, so that leads me to believe he's leaning to those two schools.
More on Leftwich
I posted the article on Hickman's Wesley Leftwichhttp://missouri.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=101168&sport=1 yesterday. It really seems like Missouri is in fantastic position on this one. Although Leftwich's only offer is from Missouri, he is receiving interest from OU, KU, K-State and Northwestern. He said Missouri was at the top of his list, and I asked him what if those schools (especially OU) offers.
"They'd (MU) still definitely be at the top of my list," Leftwich said. "The coaching staff is great. I know the city of Columbia, too. With Marcus Lucas in this year's class, if he and some of the other guys commit, we're going to be pretty good by the time I get there."
He's already talking like a Tiger. Another big draw for him is the friendship he's developed with Lee's Summit QB Corbin Berkstresserhttp://missouri.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=99872&sport=1.
"Me and Corbin have a bond," Leftwich said. "We've been talking and texting quite a bit. We've talked about being at Mizzou together.'
Looks like Berkstresser is already a recruiter for the Tigers.
Now, at this point, Leftwich has obviously proved he has all the physical tools to be a game-changing wide receiver. He said he's looking forward to proving it on the field this fall, and separating himself from the hype. If he has a big year, expect Leftwich to turn into a national name.
Who's next?
It's been a busy two weeks, and now Missouri's list stands at 13. The most common question on the board is, "How many more do we take?" followed by "Who will always have offers on the table, no matter what?"
I'll start with the second question. Here's the list of recruits, who in my opinion, will always have offers waiting for them:
Nick Demienhttp://missouri.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=88015&sport=1
Marcus Lucashttp://missouri.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=84464
Justin McCayhttp://missouri.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=68780&sport=1
Kony Ealyhttp://missouri.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=97249
Trey Millardhttp://missouri.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=87452&sport=1
Joseph Randlehttp://missouri.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=80695&sport=1
Delans Griffinhttp://missouri.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=80208&sport=1
(Of those seven, I think Demien, Lucas and Ealy are the most likely to become Tigers)
Now, for how many more Missouri takes...
We know Missouri, at this point, is slotted to have right around 16 scholarships available. Gabe has said they could take as many as 22. I'm going to low-ball it and say Pinkel takes 20 in this year's class.
Missouri absolutely needs one more commit at each of these positions:
RB
WR (Lucas)
OT (Demien)
DE (Ealy)
DT
LB
That would give the Tigers 19 in this class. Missouri COULD take another QB, and could take two more WRs, DEs or LBs, but it's not necessary.
I also don't think Missouri needs to take a TE in this class. They could, and if Millard or Travis Dicksonhttp://missouri.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=74466&sport=1 commits they'd absolutely take them, but with Andrew Jones, Michael Egnew and Alex Sanders all on the roster, they seem pretty set for the next two years. If Missouri isn't infatuated with any TEs in this year's class, they won't feel obligated to take one.
Here's how I feel the class will shape out.
QB - Franklin and Gonzalezhttp://missouri.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=90705&sport=1 (I still think Ivy is more realistic here)
RB - White and Randle/Henry Joseyhttp://missouri.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=82044&sport=1 (Randle wants to stay close and has had good things to say about Missouri)
WR - Hunt, Hill, Lucas (McCay is a possibility, but it's anyone's guess at this point)
OL - Morse, Jenkins, Gatti, Demien
DL - Vincent, Ealy, Dominique Joneshttp://missouri.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=77813&sport=1
LB - Parham, Justin Wilsonhttp://missouri.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=96717&sport=1
DB - Gaines, Smith, Holt, Webb
That would give Missouri 20, which is very realistic. Of course, that's just my speculation, but I thought it would be prudent to address that at this stage in the process.
Update on DTs
I've been trying to get in touch with Chris Littleheadhttp://missouri.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=89451&sport=1, Dominique Jones and Zach Bolton this week. I have an interview scheduled with Bolton at 11 am tomorrow, so expect a story on him later in the afternoon.
I've been concentrating on hoops at the Price Chopper tournament most of this week, but I did manage to pick up some tidbits on the football trail as well. Here's what I've got:
*It's not time to close the book on Justin McCay because Missouri is one of the schools in the mix. I think the Tigers will get a visit. But from what I hear from multiple sources, everyone has ground to make up on Oklahoma. In fact, I talked to one person at the tournament who knows McCay. He had asked Justin that day where he was going to go to school. The answer? “Probably Oklahoma.” Again, it's not over, but the Sooners are the leader at this point in time.
*Oklahoma is also the major competition for both Demien and Lucas. I was told by many, many people throughout the summer that the Tigers were clearly in front for Demien. And by no means have they lost that lead, in my opinion. However, I was also told by a source, “Anyone that thinks it's a lock just doesn't know what they're talking about.” Demien says he wants a decision before school starts and that he knows everything he needs to know about both schools. At this point, he may already have his decision made. I still think he ends up in Columbia.
As far as Lucas goes, I don't think this one is as up in the air. I'll be fairly surprised if the four-star receiver isn't a Tiger.
*The state rankings for Missouri are due to come out in the next couple of days. I have a little input into those rankings. If I were doing the top 20 alone (which I'm not), here's how I'd rank them:
Demien
Lucas (very, very small margin between 1 and 2)
Ealy
Millard
Bourbon
Don Shumpert
Keeston Terry
Chase Rome
Tyler Gabbert
Anthony Gatti
Dexter McDonald
Marquise Hill
E.J. Gaines
Christian Kirksey
Darrenn White
Jordan Rainey
Brad Hefley
Sal Belfonte
Josh Mattes
Stephen Kaiser
Take it for what it's worth. I think the top three or four will be the same in our actual rankings. After that, I think there are going to be quite a few differences. I've seen a lot of these kids in person, but certainly not all of them.
*Now, let's move on to hoops. I'm going to start with a few observations of players I had in person. You've read some of this if you read my reports from the Price Chopper, but some of you probably missed it, so I'll repeat:
Bradley Bealhttp://missouri.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=88579&sport=2 is phenomenal. I was skeptical before this week. I thought maybe it was too much hype, especially after talking to a few people who saw the state tournament. It's not. The kid has every aspect of the game. And the biggest sign is that, when he needs to, he just looks like he has another level. He's got a nice jump shot, he gets to the rim and he can elevate. Just a great player, no doubt the top kid I watched.
Number two was between a couple of guys. Texas big man Trevor Relefordhttp://missouri.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=68779&sport=2. The ONLY question I have about Releford's game is his outside shot. I don't think I saw him make a three (and I only saw him even try a couple). He can get to the rack in a heartbeat, but at his size, he's going to need a jump shot to play in the Big 12. I am not saying his isn't good, I'm just saying I never really saw it. As far as Missouri goes with Releford, he knows the coaches like him. But there's going to come a point where that's going to have to translate into an offer.
I know the Tigers feel good about their chances with Phil Presseyhttp://missouri.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=68341&sport=2. What only they know, and what only they can answer, is HOW GOOD? How long do you wait on Pressey? If you wait until October, and then he goes somewhere else, I just can't see how you're still going to have much of a shot at Releford. Of course, if you offer Releford now, you run the risk of chasing off Pressey before he gets to the point of really being serious about making a decision. There's no easy answer here. Missouri won't take both of them. How do they strike the balance between the two? It's the most interesting thing about this recruiting class to me.
*Another guy that's really created some buzz in the people I've talked to is Texas prospect Rickey Scotthttp://missouri.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=77471&sport=2. I don't know a ton about Scott, but have heard his name quite a few times and will try to reach him early next week before football camp starts and consumes my life.
*One more player from the Price Chopper that I liked was Shaquille Bogahttp://missouri.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=102112&sport=2. The kid is a very good shooter, gets in the lane constantly and is a good passer. Really like his game. The best thing he did is NEVER get tired. He's full speed all the time and the kind of guard I could see at Mizzou. I know he was at their Elite camp and the Tigers are interested. Whether that ever translates into an offer remains to be seen, especially in a class where the Tigers currently are slated to have only one scholarship and could be waiting on Keith DeWitt.
*Speaking of which, we'll end it with DeWitt. I won't rule it out, but I'd be awfully surprised to see him in Columbia. Based on what I'm hearing, it's just a very, very long shot. I think he'll end up going the juco route. I've been told a number of times that he really wants to play at Missouri, even if it's not for two years. But I don't know that it's a guarantee. You've got to see how he develops in two years. Chipola and Moberly are two places I've been told he could end up. If he goes to either place, Missouri has very good relationships with both coaches and will have the right of first refusal. If DeWitt plays well and he's as good as people say, Missouri should get him back. If things don't pan out, they could use the scholarship elsewhere.
That puts a wrap on it for this week. Camp starts Thursday. The full schedule is posted in this threadhttp://missouri.rivals.com/showmsg.asp?fid=489&tid=130453033&mid=130453033&sid=898&style=2. I'll give you a full rundown next week, but you can expect three to five stories out of every workout leading up to the Illinois game.
Out of the race for Bourbon
I texted back and forth with Potosi RB Brandon Bourbon, and he confirmed what many have believed for the past few months:
Missouri is no longer in the race.
Honestly, this isn't a big surprise. Sure, part of it may have to do with the time it took the Tigers to offer (although Kansas was the first to offer and isn't in the mix either), part of it could have to do with Missouri being the only school to offer him as an athlete and not as a RB. But, the main thing this comes down to is academics. Missouri is a fantastic school, and Bourbon said he realizes that, but he wants to get what he considers the best degree possible.
It honestly looks like it'll come down to Stanford and Harvard. He talked about how cool it would be to live in California or Boston, so that leads me to believe he's leaning to those two schools.
More on Leftwich
I posted the article on Hickman's Wesley Leftwichhttp://missouri.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=101168&sport=1 yesterday. It really seems like Missouri is in fantastic position on this one. Although Leftwich's only offer is from Missouri, he is receiving interest from OU, KU, K-State and Northwestern. He said Missouri was at the top of his list, and I asked him what if those schools (especially OU) offers.
"They'd (MU) still definitely be at the top of my list," Leftwich said. "The coaching staff is great. I know the city of Columbia, too. With Marcus Lucas in this year's class, if he and some of the other guys commit, we're going to be pretty good by the time I get there."
He's already talking like a Tiger. Another big draw for him is the friendship he's developed with Lee's Summit QB Corbin Berkstresserhttp://missouri.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=99872&sport=1.
"Me and Corbin have a bond," Leftwich said. "We've been talking and texting quite a bit. We've talked about being at Mizzou together.'
Looks like Berkstresser is already a recruiter for the Tigers.
Now, at this point, Leftwich has obviously proved he has all the physical tools to be a game-changing wide receiver. He said he's looking forward to proving it on the field this fall, and separating himself from the hype. If he has a big year, expect Leftwich to turn into a national name.
Who's next?
It's been a busy two weeks, and now Missouri's list stands at 13. The most common question on the board is, "How many more do we take?" followed by "Who will always have offers on the table, no matter what?"
I'll start with the second question. Here's the list of recruits, who in my opinion, will always have offers waiting for them:
Nick Demienhttp://missouri.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=88015&sport=1
Marcus Lucashttp://missouri.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=84464
Justin McCayhttp://missouri.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=68780&sport=1
Kony Ealyhttp://missouri.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=97249
Trey Millardhttp://missouri.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=87452&sport=1
Joseph Randlehttp://missouri.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=80695&sport=1
Delans Griffinhttp://missouri.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=80208&sport=1
(Of those seven, I think Demien, Lucas and Ealy are the most likely to become Tigers)
Now, for how many more Missouri takes...
We know Missouri, at this point, is slotted to have right around 16 scholarships available. Gabe has said they could take as many as 22. I'm going to low-ball it and say Pinkel takes 20 in this year's class.
Missouri absolutely needs one more commit at each of these positions:
RB
WR (Lucas)
OT (Demien)
DE (Ealy)
DT
LB
That would give the Tigers 19 in this class. Missouri COULD take another QB, and could take two more WRs, DEs or LBs, but it's not necessary.
I also don't think Missouri needs to take a TE in this class. They could, and if Millard or Travis Dicksonhttp://missouri.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=74466&sport=1 commits they'd absolutely take them, but with Andrew Jones, Michael Egnew and Alex Sanders all on the roster, they seem pretty set for the next two years. If Missouri isn't infatuated with any TEs in this year's class, they won't feel obligated to take one.
Here's how I feel the class will shape out.
QB - Franklin and Gonzalezhttp://missouri.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=90705&sport=1 (I still think Ivy is more realistic here)
RB - White and Randle/Henry Joseyhttp://missouri.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=82044&sport=1 (Randle wants to stay close and has had good things to say about Missouri)
WR - Hunt, Hill, Lucas (McCay is a possibility, but it's anyone's guess at this point)
OL - Morse, Jenkins, Gatti, Demien
DL - Vincent, Ealy, Dominique Joneshttp://missouri.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=77813&sport=1
LB - Parham, Justin Wilsonhttp://missouri.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=96717&sport=1
DB - Gaines, Smith, Holt, Webb
That would give Missouri 20, which is very realistic. Of course, that's just my speculation, but I thought it would be prudent to address that at this stage in the process.
Update on DTs
I've been trying to get in touch with Chris Littleheadhttp://missouri.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=89451&sport=1, Dominique Jones and Zach Bolton this week. I have an interview scheduled with Bolton at 11 am tomorrow, so expect a story on him later in the afternoon.
I've been concentrating on hoops at the Price Chopper tournament most of this week, but I did manage to pick up some tidbits on the football trail as well. Here's what I've got:
*It's not time to close the book on Justin McCay because Missouri is one of the schools in the mix. I think the Tigers will get a visit. But from what I hear from multiple sources, everyone has ground to make up on Oklahoma. In fact, I talked to one person at the tournament who knows McCay. He had asked Justin that day where he was going to go to school. The answer? “Probably Oklahoma.” Again, it's not over, but the Sooners are the leader at this point in time.
*Oklahoma is also the major competition for both Demien and Lucas. I was told by many, many people throughout the summer that the Tigers were clearly in front for Demien. And by no means have they lost that lead, in my opinion. However, I was also told by a source, “Anyone that thinks it's a lock just doesn't know what they're talking about.” Demien says he wants a decision before school starts and that he knows everything he needs to know about both schools. At this point, he may already have his decision made. I still think he ends up in Columbia.
As far as Lucas goes, I don't think this one is as up in the air. I'll be fairly surprised if the four-star receiver isn't a Tiger.
*The state rankings for Missouri are due to come out in the next couple of days. I have a little input into those rankings. If I were doing the top 20 alone (which I'm not), here's how I'd rank them:
Demien
Lucas (very, very small margin between 1 and 2)
Ealy
Millard
Bourbon
Don Shumpert
Keeston Terry
Chase Rome
Tyler Gabbert
Anthony Gatti
Dexter McDonald
Marquise Hill
E.J. Gaines
Christian Kirksey
Darrenn White
Jordan Rainey
Brad Hefley
Sal Belfonte
Josh Mattes
Stephen Kaiser
Take it for what it's worth. I think the top three or four will be the same in our actual rankings. After that, I think there are going to be quite a few differences. I've seen a lot of these kids in person, but certainly not all of them.
*Now, let's move on to hoops. I'm going to start with a few observations of players I had in person. You've read some of this if you read my reports from the Price Chopper, but some of you probably missed it, so I'll repeat:
Bradley Bealhttp://missouri.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=88579&sport=2 is phenomenal. I was skeptical before this week. I thought maybe it was too much hype, especially after talking to a few people who saw the state tournament. It's not. The kid has every aspect of the game. And the biggest sign is that, when he needs to, he just looks like he has another level. He's got a nice jump shot, he gets to the rim and he can elevate. Just a great player, no doubt the top kid I watched.
Number two was between a couple of guys. Texas big man Trevor Relefordhttp://missouri.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=68779&sport=2. The ONLY question I have about Releford's game is his outside shot. I don't think I saw him make a three (and I only saw him even try a couple). He can get to the rack in a heartbeat, but at his size, he's going to need a jump shot to play in the Big 12. I am not saying his isn't good, I'm just saying I never really saw it. As far as Missouri goes with Releford, he knows the coaches like him. But there's going to come a point where that's going to have to translate into an offer.
I know the Tigers feel good about their chances with Phil Presseyhttp://missouri.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=68341&sport=2. What only they know, and what only they can answer, is HOW GOOD? How long do you wait on Pressey? If you wait until October, and then he goes somewhere else, I just can't see how you're still going to have much of a shot at Releford. Of course, if you offer Releford now, you run the risk of chasing off Pressey before he gets to the point of really being serious about making a decision. There's no easy answer here. Missouri won't take both of them. How do they strike the balance between the two? It's the most interesting thing about this recruiting class to me.
*Another guy that's really created some buzz in the people I've talked to is Texas prospect Rickey Scotthttp://missouri.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=77471&sport=2. I don't know a ton about Scott, but have heard his name quite a few times and will try to reach him early next week before football camp starts and consumes my life.
*One more player from the Price Chopper that I liked was Shaquille Bogahttp://missouri.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=102112&sport=2. The kid is a very good shooter, gets in the lane constantly and is a good passer. Really like his game. The best thing he did is NEVER get tired. He's full speed all the time and the kind of guard I could see at Mizzou. I know he was at their Elite camp and the Tigers are interested. Whether that ever translates into an offer remains to be seen, especially in a class where the Tigers currently are slated to have only one scholarship and could be waiting on Keith DeWitt.
*Speaking of which, we'll end it with DeWitt. I won't rule it out, but I'd be awfully surprised to see him in Columbia. Based on what I'm hearing, it's just a very, very long shot. I think he'll end up going the juco route. I've been told a number of times that he really wants to play at Missouri, even if it's not for two years. But I don't know that it's a guarantee. You've got to see how he develops in two years. Chipola and Moberly are two places I've been told he could end up. If he goes to either place, Missouri has very good relationships with both coaches and will have the right of first refusal. If DeWitt plays well and he's as good as people say, Missouri should get him back. If things don't pan out, they could use the scholarship elsewhere.
That puts a wrap on it for this week. Camp starts Thursday. The full schedule is posted in this threadhttp://missouri.rivals.com/showmsg.asp?fid=489&tid=130453033&mid=130453033&sid=898&style=2. I'll give you a full rundown next week, but you can expect three to five stories out of every workout leading up to the Illinois game.
