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It seems like the last couple of weeks have been a whole lot of hurry up and wait. Both programs hosted some visitors, contacted a bunch of transfers and now we're just kind of waiting to see where things are going to go from here. Decisions could happen any time. Literally someone could make a commitment while this is being written or it could be weeks. Transfers don't really have to be settled on a place until the school year starts, but most of them will probably make their decisions by the end of May so they can enroll in summer classes and join their new programs for summer drills and conditioning. So here's the rundown of what we're waiting on.
FOOTBALL RECRUITING
Decisions seem to be near for offensive linemen Cam'Ron Johnson and Troy Everett. Both have taken official visits to Missouri.
*Johnson also visited USC and Colorado. The Colorado visit was last weekend and we haven't heard a thing since then. Which means it's difficult to get any sort of a read on where things stand. Missouri felt pretty optimistic when he left town, but it's now been three weeks since that visit happened. That doesn't mean Mizzou is to of the picture, but we just haven't heard a thing out of him since the USC visit two weekends ago.
*Everett visited last weekend. That came on the heels of a visit to Oklahoma. He has also visited Virginia Tech and Cincinnati and was set to wrap up a visit to Louisville yesterday. It would seem those are the five in the running. Our opinion is Virginia Tech will be tough to beat as the Hokies finished second for him out of high school and he's a Virginia native, but Everett hasn't responded to us since his Mizzou visit and we're going on guesswork more than anything.
The Tigers would take them both. If they get neither, we're not sure where they'd turn next at this point.
*On the defensive line, Mizzou still would like to add a defensive end. The top guy available is probably James Madison's Isaac Ukwu. Missouri is hoping to get him on a visit. Ukwu has offers from all over, but his recruitment has been quiet. He's tweeting out offers, but we don't know for sure where he's taken any visits. He hasn't been in Columbia yet. The hope is that he will be at some point but to our knowledge that isn't set yet.
*Another name to watch is Nyles Gaddy, an all-SWAC performer with seven sacks for Jackson State last season. Obviously there's the threat of Gaddy following Deion Sanders to Colorado. He just entered the portal five days ago (on the last day to do so) so we aren't sure of where his recruitment stands other than to say Missouri is interested.
*The third defensive lineman to know is Louisiana Tech's Keivie Rose, but he's an interior player, not an edge. He's another candidate for a visit to Columbia, though that hasn't happened yet. He's visiting Miami this weekend and has offers from the likes of West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Colorado, Mississippi State and TCU.
*Mizzou had offered Cincinnati safety Armorion Smith who was set to visit this weekend, but last week he committed to Michigan State. Missouri could look elsewhere at safety but (just our opinion) it's not necessarily a need.
*A running back is still a possibility, but we don't have any specific information at this point on time.
*It's a tricky balance for coaches. You want to add talent and the portal is closed so players who haven't graduated are now locked in through the season, but grad transfers can enter the portal at any time. So if you're still bringing in a player out of the portal, you're running the risk of an older player on your roster still having the option to leave (for example, at running back, Nate Peat and Cody Schrader are both fifth-year guys who could theoretically move on if the Tigers were to bring in a running back. So if you're going to add someone at this point, it either needs to be a position where there's absolutely playing time available (offensive line, defensive end) or you have to be sure you're bringing in a guy who can contribute immediately in case it causes someone currently on your roster to have second thoughts.
*As far as high school recruiting goes (yes, they still do that), we talked with in-state receivers Jeremiah McClellan and Ryan Wingo this week. We'd put Missouri's chances with McClellan as remote. The chances with Wingo are significantly better than that. Georgia, Tennessee and Notre Dame are all threats and it won't be easy, but Mizzou is a legitimate option for Wingo. He'll visit in June again.
