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A lot of you guys have said to us over the months, just put the basketball recruiting stuff first. That's why we're here. So here you go.
BASKETBALL RECRUITING
We're in a little bit of a lull right now. The football team is on the road, the hoops team is focused on the start of practice so we don't know of any visits lined up for this weekend. We assume they'll kick back up with 2025 kids next weekend for Homecoming.
McCarty is making his decision today. He had Missouri in his top six, but not his top five. He did take an official visit. But he simply was a victim of the numbers game here. There have been years where he would be the star of a Missouri recruiting class. This year is not one of those years. Missouri just didn't have room. He'll announce today, likely for Texas Tech or Houston, but isn't a take at Missouri right now.
This recruitment is indicative of something this staff has done quite a bit. We used to assume that if a kid came on an official visit he was definitely a take. That's not the case anymore. Dennis Gates and staff have brought in a good number of players who ended up not having a spot in this class. The rationale is simple: Get them here, build a relationship. If a couple things don't fall your way, you can move on to the next kid and he still feels like a priority because you've brought him to campus and treated him like a king for a weekend. But even if you don't end up with a spot for him,
The 2024 class at this point is waiting on Jayden Quaintance. He visited last month and by all accounts, Missouri is right there in the mix. Quaintance has visited Ohio State and G League Ignite and will be at Kentucky next weekend. He did make a change to his visits. He canceled a trip to Cincinnati and instead is at Florida this weekend. Because the Gators have been added, you can't discount them.
The timetable for a decision is up in the air. He told 247 Sports earlier this week that he was getting closer and closer to a decision. But he's good enough that he can wait till the spring if he wants to. There's definite optimism around Mizzou, but the competition is stiff and we'll wait and see.
Whatever Quaintance decides, there's not likely a spot for any other high school player in this class. If Missouri gets him, it will have six high school players and then finish in the portal. If he goes elsewhere, they'll just hold the spot for a spring transfer.
FOOTBALL RECRUITING
- While Missouri didn't score the victory against LSU, they are leaving a solid impression on the recruiting trail with their play on the gridiron. Here are some more reactions from key visitors that were on campus this past weekend.
- We'll start with the No. 3 player in the 2026 recruiting class in Nixa (Mo.) OT Jackson Cantwell, who enjoyed spending a lot more time talking with Mizzou's coaching staff on his recent visit. The five-star has previously visited Mizzou for a Jr. Day back in June and for the Vanderbit game in October of last year. For now, it sounds like the Tigers have positioned themselves well for the five-star prospect - CLICK HERE FOR MORE
- Missouri also had a couple of 2024 OL targets on campus as well, one of those being current Troy commit Dominic Steward, who was impressed with his first visit to Missouri. He told us the Tigers will get an official visit from him down the road as he continues to evaluate all of his options and will wait until December to make his final decision. Other schools making a push include Georgia Tech, UCF, East Carolina, Cincinnati - CLICK HERE FOR MORE
- Former Illinois OL commit Caleb Pyfrom was also at Missouri over the weekend. At the time, he was committed to the Illini, but ended up backing off his pledge on Sunday evening. That could prove to be a good sign for Missouri as the three-star prospect told Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney that Mizzou was recruiting him the hardest currently. During the summer, Pyfrom took officials to Nebraska, Minnesota, and Illinois - CLICK HERE FOR MORE
- Missouri QB commit Aidan Glover was also back on campus over the weekend alongside his teammate and current 2025 wide receiver target Joakim Dodson, whom Missouri is in constant communication with. The rising three-star playmaker was extremely impressed with his gameday visit to CoMo and really likes how Mizzou is utilizing their wide receivers - CLICK HERE FOR MORE
More reactions from the big visit weekend include the following and we'll have more on these 2025 targets in the coming days...
"I think the stadium was really nice, I also loved how welcoming the coaches were"
Missouri became the first power five offer for Brooks during his visit
"The thing that stood out the most to me was the environment that Missouri displayed. It was very intense and the focus was being great now. I can see the program has an expectation to win and I like that."
"What really stood out to me this weekend was the family oriented environment. The coaches were very engaged the whole weekend just showing me what it would feel like on and off the field."
"I loved the physicality and speed of the defense. They had a great atmosphere and the coaches were great as well."
MIZZOU LOSES LONE 2025 COMMITMENT
- While there is a ton of recruiting momentum for Missouri right now, the Tigers did suffer a bit of a setback as Rivals250 DE Julian Marks reopened his recruiting process just three weeks after committing to Missouri the night they defeated K-State. He was the lone 2025 commitment for Missouri. For Marks, it seemed to be a bit of a rushed decision and perhaps he was caught up in the hype of visiting for the K-State game and witnessing an incredible last-second win. Regardless of his decommitment, the four-star prospect told Rivals.com Midwest analyst Clint Cosgrove that Missouri remains his number one option - CLICK HERE FOR THE DETAILS
IMG ACADEMY PRODUCT LIKING MIZZOU
- We also chatted with 2025 four-star OL target Kayden Strayhorn earlier this week, who told us he talks with Missouri recruiting and player relations staffer Evan Boehm nearly everyday. Missouri likes Strayhorn as a center and likes talking football with Boehm, who played the same position at Mizzou and the NFL. Strayhorn says he's planning to visit this fall for a game.
