It is an early, Thanksgiving Day File this week, with a cornucopia of news and information heading into the long weekend. We start with all the action on the football recruiting front.
Hilson -- who just announced an offer from Missouri on Nov. 20 -- switched this weekend’s visit to Missouri after he was originally scheduled to be at Texas A&M. The former Florida State and Georgia pledge also visited Michigan last weekend, canceling a return trip to Florida.
Defensive line coach Brian Early arrived late into Hilson’s recruitment, but that doesn’t mean Missouri doesn’t have a chance. The Tigers have seen two recruits decommit in the past two months, including four-star defensive end Joshua Lewis.
Hilson, of course, is a highly-regarded recruit, ranking No. 16 overall in the Class of 2025, yet it’s not clear who ends up with the commitment of the five-star. Besides Missouri and Michigan, he is also heavily considering Texas.
Meanwhile, the Tigers have been recruiting Brendon Haygood for two months now and will finally get the Boise State commit on campus this weekend.
Running backs coach Curtis Luper visited Haygood earlier this month for a game and texted with the late-bloomer after it. Luper -- who recruits Dallas-Fort Worth well -- has pitched the potential in the SEC and grown a strong relationship with Haygood’s mother as well. Haygood has also taken official visits to Texas Tech and Virginia Tech since pledging to Boise State in September.
JUCO running back Waymond Jordan has a busy weekend ahead of him. He’s scheduled for a split weekend of official visits between Missouri -- the lone SEC program he’s planned to visit -- and UCF. Luper, along with a staffer from UCF, visited Jordan for a practice Monday. Luper also spoke with coaches in Jordan’s hometown of Pensacola, Florida, coming away impressed by back’s work ethic.
Jordan is the prime target for the Tigers’ wide-zone offense, and as he aims to make a decision by Dec. 18, he’s put his focus into Missouri, South Florida, UCF, Utah State and Western Kentucky.
Following the news Tuesday that North Carolina was parting ways with Mack Brown, Missouri got in touch with Tar Heels' commit Javion Butts. Safeties coach Jacob Yoro and defensive line coach Al Davis reignited the interest, after initially offering him back in May.
Butts spoke with both coaches Tuesday and Wednesday, agreeing to get on campus for an official visit this weekend. The trip will be abbreviated, though, since Butts can’t get to Missouri until Saturday morning and the dead period starts at midnight, the following day.
Butts -- who is an early enrollee -- is now the prime replacement candidate for three-star safety Dyllon Williams, who de-committed last month. Previously, the Tigers targeted four-star Byron Baldwin, who committed back to Indiana, three-star Washington commit Rylon Dillard-Allen, who closed his recruitment, and three-star Minnesota commit Zack Harden, who originally looked into an official to Missouri before conversation slowed.
Missouri will also have its eyes set on Texas A&M this weekend. Four-star all-purpose back commit Jamarrion Morrow will be taking a visit with the Aggies as he continues to weigh his options. Lamont Rogers is also expected back in College Station for the revived rivalry matchup with Texas.
With the Early Signing Period opening Wednesday, there are other players on the Tigers’ radar, in addition to the ones listed above. Michigan wide receiver commit Jacob Washington -- who visited Nov. 9 for the Oklahoma game -- consistently hears from Missouri. He may be more difficult to flip now, however, with the Wolverines recently landing five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood.
Missouri is also in the Top 6 for four-star defensive end Tobi Haastrup, who will be taking an official visit to Oregon this weekend. Something that really stood out about the football newcomer is that the history around programs won’t be a factor to him, given his newness to the sport. That could put Missouri in a good spot among a group of well-respected programs. Haastrup will announce his decision Wednesday, and at this point there is no evident front-runner.
With it being the final week of the regular season, the team wanted the players to get as much time as they could on Faurot Field before the end of the year, so instead of crossing the bridge over Providence to head to the practice fields, the team practiced inside the empty Memorial Stadium on Tuesday. They still went through all the normal drills and the media was allowed for seven segments of practice like last week, instead of five like the beginning of the season. So, we got to see seven minutes of actual walkthrough instead of just drills.
Brady Cook still had a ton of tape on his right wrist, but he continued to work through throwing drills with all the other quarterbacks. I didn’t see if he avoided the ball-control drill like last week, but I did see Drew Pyne getting excited coming away from the drill.
It was about 40 degrees during practice, which was moved up from its usual 4 p.m. start to 3 p.m. to try to avoid the sun setting during workouts and getting even colder. A lot of guys who haven’t played in cold weather before were wearing extra layers - sweatshirts under pads and jerseys, gloves, sweat pants - whatever they could to stay warm. Eli Drinkwitz said in his press conference Tuesday the team is going to do what it can to prepare for a possible snow game Saturday, and that means practicing outside in the cold all week.
There was a little adjustment needed due to the cold during the walkthrough portion. One of Brady Cook’s throws went a bit high and instead of his usual big speakers along the sideline, Drinkwitz was connected to the stadium public address system, so a loud “might need to get used to the cold weather there 12,” came from all around us as Drinkwitz razzed his quarterback.
There were a handful of players in green non-contact jerseys. From what I could tell, it looked like Johnny Walker, Nate Noel, Chuck Hicks, Tre’Vez Johnson and Shamar McNeil along with Aidan Glover who has been in one all season. They were all going through drills regularly, so I wouldn’t expect any issues on the injury report moving forward.
Tony Perkins was back in action Sunday for the first time in a few games and looked fine, immediately driving to the basket and getting a couple of free throws. His minutes will increase as Dennis Gates becomes more comfortable with Perkins’ work load. And, we got to see T.O. Barrett a couple of times the past week. I was starting to think he wouldn’t play at all this year, but Gates said he was just banged up here and there throughout the first handful of game - nothing that would have kept someone out if they were a key starter, but nothing to rush a true freshman through either.
That leaves just Trent Burns who we haven’t seen this year and I don’t think we will. His 7-foot-6 frame would be nice to have, but from what I can tell, he’s just not quite physically where he needs to be to compete in the post. From what I’ve heard, he didn’t come in expecting to play much this year, so holding him back shouldn’t be an issue toward keeping him around after the season. Might as well let him build up some muscle and grow into that height under the tutelage of a good training staff so he’s fully ready to contribute when the Tigers have one fewer seven-footer on the roster next year.
It’s been nice to see Tionna Herron starting to get more involved these past few games. She was very open and honest about her recovery from open-heart surgery a couple of years ago, and though she isn’t playing a ton, she’s definitely someone I find myself rooting for when she’s on the floor.
Robin Pingeton has done some messing around with the lineup recently, which I find interesting. With how much was expected of Ashton Judd coming into her junior season after two good years as a supplementary piece, she just hasn’t been great to start the year. However, she did lead the team with 22 points on Tuesday, which might be her stepping into the leading scorer role alongside Grace Slaughter, who has been fantastic.
But Pingeton benched Judd for a couple of games, then brought her back into the lineup. She benched Laniah Randle for a game and that didn’t go great, then put her back in the lineup Tuesday to replace Angelique Ngalakulondi, which is just too small of a lineup going forward. It worked against Wichita State, but not having a big on the floor against better opponents is going to be a problem.
RECRUITING
For the final official visit weekend before Signing Day, Missouri is expecting multiple official visitors, prioritizing two undecided recruits as well as two flip targets. The Tigers are set to host five-star defensive end Javion Hilson, three-star Boise State running back commit Brendon Haygood, three-star JUCO all-purpose back Waymond Jordan and three-star safety Javion Butts.Hilson -- who just announced an offer from Missouri on Nov. 20 -- switched this weekend’s visit to Missouri after he was originally scheduled to be at Texas A&M. The former Florida State and Georgia pledge also visited Michigan last weekend, canceling a return trip to Florida.
Defensive line coach Brian Early arrived late into Hilson’s recruitment, but that doesn’t mean Missouri doesn’t have a chance. The Tigers have seen two recruits decommit in the past two months, including four-star defensive end Joshua Lewis.
Hilson, of course, is a highly-regarded recruit, ranking No. 16 overall in the Class of 2025, yet it’s not clear who ends up with the commitment of the five-star. Besides Missouri and Michigan, he is also heavily considering Texas.
Meanwhile, the Tigers have been recruiting Brendon Haygood for two months now and will finally get the Boise State commit on campus this weekend.
Running backs coach Curtis Luper visited Haygood earlier this month for a game and texted with the late-bloomer after it. Luper -- who recruits Dallas-Fort Worth well -- has pitched the potential in the SEC and grown a strong relationship with Haygood’s mother as well. Haygood has also taken official visits to Texas Tech and Virginia Tech since pledging to Boise State in September.
JUCO running back Waymond Jordan has a busy weekend ahead of him. He’s scheduled for a split weekend of official visits between Missouri -- the lone SEC program he’s planned to visit -- and UCF. Luper, along with a staffer from UCF, visited Jordan for a practice Monday. Luper also spoke with coaches in Jordan’s hometown of Pensacola, Florida, coming away impressed by back’s work ethic.
Jordan is the prime target for the Tigers’ wide-zone offense, and as he aims to make a decision by Dec. 18, he’s put his focus into Missouri, South Florida, UCF, Utah State and Western Kentucky.
Following the news Tuesday that North Carolina was parting ways with Mack Brown, Missouri got in touch with Tar Heels' commit Javion Butts. Safeties coach Jacob Yoro and defensive line coach Al Davis reignited the interest, after initially offering him back in May.
Butts spoke with both coaches Tuesday and Wednesday, agreeing to get on campus for an official visit this weekend. The trip will be abbreviated, though, since Butts can’t get to Missouri until Saturday morning and the dead period starts at midnight, the following day.
Butts -- who is an early enrollee -- is now the prime replacement candidate for three-star safety Dyllon Williams, who de-committed last month. Previously, the Tigers targeted four-star Byron Baldwin, who committed back to Indiana, three-star Washington commit Rylon Dillard-Allen, who closed his recruitment, and three-star Minnesota commit Zack Harden, who originally looked into an official to Missouri before conversation slowed.
Missouri will also have its eyes set on Texas A&M this weekend. Four-star all-purpose back commit Jamarrion Morrow will be taking a visit with the Aggies as he continues to weigh his options. Lamont Rogers is also expected back in College Station for the revived rivalry matchup with Texas.
With the Early Signing Period opening Wednesday, there are other players on the Tigers’ radar, in addition to the ones listed above. Michigan wide receiver commit Jacob Washington -- who visited Nov. 9 for the Oklahoma game -- consistently hears from Missouri. He may be more difficult to flip now, however, with the Wolverines recently landing five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood.
Missouri is also in the Top 6 for four-star defensive end Tobi Haastrup, who will be taking an official visit to Oregon this weekend. Something that really stood out about the football newcomer is that the history around programs won’t be a factor to him, given his newness to the sport. That could put Missouri in a good spot among a group of well-respected programs. Haastrup will announce his decision Wednesday, and at this point there is no evident front-runner.
FOOTBALL
The media was allowed at practice two weeks in a row, who would have guessed!With it being the final week of the regular season, the team wanted the players to get as much time as they could on Faurot Field before the end of the year, so instead of crossing the bridge over Providence to head to the practice fields, the team practiced inside the empty Memorial Stadium on Tuesday. They still went through all the normal drills and the media was allowed for seven segments of practice like last week, instead of five like the beginning of the season. So, we got to see seven minutes of actual walkthrough instead of just drills.
Brady Cook still had a ton of tape on his right wrist, but he continued to work through throwing drills with all the other quarterbacks. I didn’t see if he avoided the ball-control drill like last week, but I did see Drew Pyne getting excited coming away from the drill.
It was about 40 degrees during practice, which was moved up from its usual 4 p.m. start to 3 p.m. to try to avoid the sun setting during workouts and getting even colder. A lot of guys who haven’t played in cold weather before were wearing extra layers - sweatshirts under pads and jerseys, gloves, sweat pants - whatever they could to stay warm. Eli Drinkwitz said in his press conference Tuesday the team is going to do what it can to prepare for a possible snow game Saturday, and that means practicing outside in the cold all week.
There was a little adjustment needed due to the cold during the walkthrough portion. One of Brady Cook’s throws went a bit high and instead of his usual big speakers along the sideline, Drinkwitz was connected to the stadium public address system, so a loud “might need to get used to the cold weather there 12,” came from all around us as Drinkwitz razzed his quarterback.
There were a handful of players in green non-contact jerseys. From what I could tell, it looked like Johnny Walker, Nate Noel, Chuck Hicks, Tre’Vez Johnson and Shamar McNeil along with Aidan Glover who has been in one all season. They were all going through drills regularly, so I wouldn’t expect any issues on the injury report moving forward.
BASKETBALL
Well, the Tigers have really killed it with this stretch of awful opponents. There’s a reason the schedule was dumbed down a bit this year outside of the three key non-conference matchups. But it’s been good to see. Good teams take care of business against bad teams, and that’s what the Tigers have done.Tony Perkins was back in action Sunday for the first time in a few games and looked fine, immediately driving to the basket and getting a couple of free throws. His minutes will increase as Dennis Gates becomes more comfortable with Perkins’ work load. And, we got to see T.O. Barrett a couple of times the past week. I was starting to think he wouldn’t play at all this year, but Gates said he was just banged up here and there throughout the first handful of game - nothing that would have kept someone out if they were a key starter, but nothing to rush a true freshman through either.
That leaves just Trent Burns who we haven’t seen this year and I don’t think we will. His 7-foot-6 frame would be nice to have, but from what I can tell, he’s just not quite physically where he needs to be to compete in the post. From what I’ve heard, he didn’t come in expecting to play much this year, so holding him back shouldn’t be an issue toward keeping him around after the season. Might as well let him build up some muscle and grow into that height under the tutelage of a good training staff so he’s fully ready to contribute when the Tigers have one fewer seven-footer on the roster next year.
WOMEN’S HOOPS
Injury wise, I don’t have an update on Luci Milkovic. She still hasn’t played since I saw her in a walking boot before the matchup with Saint Louis. It’s been nice to see Tionna Herron starting to get more involved these past few games. She was very open and honest about her recovery from open-heart surgery a couple of years ago, and though she isn’t playing a ton, she’s definitely someone I find myself rooting for when she’s on the floor.
Robin Pingeton has done some messing around with the lineup recently, which I find interesting. With how much was expected of Ashton Judd coming into her junior season after two good years as a supplementary piece, she just hasn’t been great to start the year. However, she did lead the team with 22 points on Tuesday, which might be her stepping into the leading scorer role alongside Grace Slaughter, who has been fantastic.
But Pingeton benched Judd for a couple of games, then brought her back into the lineup. She benched Laniah Randle for a game and that didn’t go great, then put her back in the lineup Tuesday to replace Angelique Ngalakulondi, which is just too small of a lineup going forward. It worked against Wichita State, but not having a big on the floor against better opponents is going to be a problem.
