At Billiards our taps are flowing with Missouri craft beers and we're the home of the Famous Billiards Burger and Fresh cut fries. So come down to watch your favorite Missouri teams, shoot some pool and fill your belly! Local sports, Local beer, Local food-all under one roof. Click here for a special offer for PowerMizzou.com subscribers.
After three straight home games and a bye week, recruiting is going to slow down a little bit now with Mizzou on the road for three of its final five games. The bulk of the action is now likely to occur on two official visit weekends in December leading up to the early signing period on December 15.
That's not to say it's going completely dark, but it is going to slow down. We anticipate Missouri has no more than three commitments between now and those official visit weekends. And even that might be a little bit high. There are 15 players in the class right now. That means no more than ten spots remain for the early signing period and it's probably actually a little less. We think Missouri will sign somewhere around 20 players in December and then hold five to eight spots for the late signing period in February and the transfer portal, which could remain active well into the summer.
But here are a few tidbits right now:
- Among the new defensive line targets, Missouri appears to be making a push for Nolan Catholic (Tex.) product and current Cal commit Curlee Thomas. The three-star pass rusher has family that lives in Kansas City and is excited to see what Missouri has to offer and the chance to play in the SEC. Thomas has been talking with staff for two months and is scheduled to have a Zoom with the staff next week. He recently talked to interim DL coach Al Davis on Sunday and Wednesday and likes his bluntness and honesty.
- Missouri running backs coach Curtis Luper recently flew out west to watch Edison (Calif.) product Devan Thompkins during the Tigers bye week. The three-star prospect picked up an offer from the Tigers back in early September. Despite the recent trip out see him in-person, Thompkins told PowerMizzou.com that communication has been relatively quiet with Missouri's staff.
- The Tigers dished out a new 2022 offer on Thursday to Riverwood (Ga.) cornerback Jaden Harris. Missouri defensive coordinator Steve Wilks has been communicating with the emerging senior for about two weeks now and Davis said Wilks likes his "speed, hands, feet, and versatility." Harris has emerged during his senior season and picked up recent offers from Marshall, UMass, Jacksonville State, and Eastern Kentucky. He told us that Kansas, Auburn, UCF, and Florida Atlantic are also expressing interest right now.
- We caught up 2023 in-state tight end target Brett Norfleet earlier this week. He is obviously a major target for the Tigers in next year's class and Missouri is in a great position to land the Rivals250 prospect at present time. Norfleet said he's really close with the entire staff, particularly tight ends coach Casey Woods, whom he chats with on a consistent basis. He's been to Missouri 5-6 times already, including a couple of games this season. Norfleet also told us that he will be able to play baseball at Missouri as well. That will play a big part in his recruiting process as he's a talented pitcher that has been clocked in the 90's.
Notre Dame is the next school he will trek to and he plans to take other visits as well. Michigan also jumped in the mix with an offer earlier this week. Will be curious to see what other schools jump in for Norfleet, but would consider Missouri the favorite right now.
- Missouri offered three new 2023 quarterbacks last week, we profiled each of them in this article earlier this week. All three - JJ Kohl, Sam Van Dyne, and Avery Johnson - have made recent trips to Missouri. So, there is familiarity with the Tigers' program. Johnson told us he plans to return to Missouri for a game in November after visiting Columbia during the summer.
Hard to say at this point who will emerge as Missouri's primary quarterback target, but the picture is made clearer with the recent offers that the Tigers will for sure take at least one quarterback in the 2023 class.
- Let's look at some players who could be early commitment candidates for the 2023 class. These are guys that are likely to get school visits from the staff in early December and who could very well shut things down before really getting fully into the recruiting process.
Brett Norfleet--We talked about him above. With attention starting to increase, he may not shut things down early, but Mizzou has been on him for a long time. He knows what he needs to know about Mizzou at this point. Whether it's enough to lock him down early remains to be seen.
Logan Reichert--This one would obviously be huge to get early. We think there's a decent chance, especially if Dan Lanning leaves Georgia for a head coaching job in the offseason (he is a KC area guy and knows the Reichert family. He's the big connection for Reichert at UGA).
Miles McVay--Truthfully, we think an early commitment is less likely here because most East St. Louis guys don't shut it down early. But the Luther Burden commitment is a big factor for Mizzou and it's not impossible that McVay just decides he knows where he wants to go. That said, he seems to be a kid that has enjoyed the recruiting process, so he might want to stretch it out and see everything he can see before making a decision.
Jahkai Lang--He's been to Mizzou a number of times. He could continue the momentum from the east side of the state. He's got plenty of attention, but isn't a national level recruit. He kind of fits the mold of a Max Whisner type who knows where he wants to go and gets it done.
Jaidyn Doss--Very similar to Lang. He's a really good regional recruit. Missouri has been on him a long time and loves him. This would be an excellent player to have as the early leader of the 2023 class.
Last edited by a moderator:
