re: 2014 Football Recruiting Thread *Offers and Commits in the OP*

Can Mizzou's Texas pipeline survive realignment?

By Dave Matter > dmatter@post-dispatch.com • 314-340-85080

COLUMBIA, Mo. • A month after Missouri’s last appearance in the Cotton Bowl, Gary Pinkel’s coaching staff signed a dozen players from the state of Texas, the program’s largest haul from a state that’s played a major role in Mizzou’s renaissance under Pinkel.

That 2008 class remains the first and only time more than half of Mizzou’s recruits came from Texas — 12 of the 23, for 56.6 percent. But from 2004 to 2012, it was one of six Mizzou classes with at least a third of its recruits from Texas.

The 2008 class was loaded with Texas recruits who became multiyear starters, including linebackers Will Ebner and Zaviar Gooden, defensive end Jacquies Smith and All-American tight end Michael Egnew. Two years later, the Tigers signed another nine players from Texas. Several form the backbone of the 11-2 team headed back to the Cotton Bowl, including 10 starters and the team’s first unanimous All-American in 53 years.

As the ninth-ranked Tigers return to the Dallas area for the Jan. 3 Cotton Bowl against No. 13 Oklahoma State (10-2), the program has shifted its radar in the recruiting world, no longer relying heavily on Texas players to fortify its roster.

Pinkel’s staff has targeted more traditional SEC states since Mizzou announced it was leaving the Big 12 in the fall of 2011, but MU hasn’t completely abandoned its most fertile recruiting area outside the state of Missouri.

“My phone is blowing up from (high school) coaches who we’ve built relationships with over the years who want to come and watch practice,” defensive coordinator Dave Steckel said. “It’s fantastic. I have great respect for those Dallas coaches. They’ve been fantastic to me as a recruiter going into their schools, getting a chance to recruit all their kids.”

Of the 291 players Missouri signed to national letters of intent from 2001-13 under Pinkel, 92 came from Texas, 31.6 percent. Among them were some of Mizzou’s biggest stars of the Pinkel era: quarterback and 2007 Heisman Trophy finalist Chase Daniel, three-time All-Big 12 linebacker Sean Weatherspoon, defensive lineman Ziggy Hood and tailback Henry Josey, just the second Mizzou tailback to log multiple 1,000-yard rushing seasons.

During the same span, the homegrown recruits — players from Missouri or just beyond the state border in Kansas or Illinois — have totaled 116, 40.2 percent.

The program’s heavy influence of Texas players will be on display Friday at AT&T Stadium. Texas natives include quarterback James Franklin, Josey (plus his two backups), right tackle Mitch Morse, slot receiver Bud Sasser, tight end Eric Waters, safeties Matt White and Braylon Webb, nickelback Ian Simon, linebacker Donovan Bonner and defensive end Michael Sam, the program’s first unanimous All-American since Danny LaRose in 1960. Next year’s depth chart should be populated with Texas products, too, including possible first-year starters Jordan Williams (offensive line), Darius White (receiver) and John Gibson (cornerback).

Now entrenched in the SEC, Mizzou is looking further east to supplement its roster. Last year’s recruiting class of 21 players included just four from Texas, MU’s smallest contingent of Texas recruits since signing four in 2003. Of the 26 players who have pledged verbal commitments for the 2014 class, only two are from Texas, Stepfawn Hughes, a receiver from Fort Worth and the younger half-brother of White, and Roderick Winters, a linebacker from Bowie High School in Arlington, a program Steckel has recruited for years.

The Tigers have instead collected out-of-state commitments from Florida (six), Georgia (three), Tennessee (three), Indiana (one) and Mississippi (one).

“We’ve done really well in Texas,” Pinkel said. “As we make gains in Georgia, Tennessee and Florida, we won’t have as many in Texas, but we have a really good reputation there and I’d like to think we’ll get our share of guys form there.”

While Pinkel used to assign as many as five or six assistant coaches to recruit all parts of Texas, Steckel and offensive line coach Bruce Walker are the two mainstays there now, both focusing on the Dallas area. Also, Mizzou’s coaches recruit as tag teams more than ever, with assistants focused more on recruits who play the position they coach. From the 2013 class, Walker said the player he contacted most through social media wasn’t a Texas recruit but offensive lineman Clay Rhodes from Stilwell, Kan.

“Obviously the dynamic has changed,” Walker said. “The thing I used to tell kids (in Texas) when I was recruiting against SEC schools was, ‘Hey, you’re going to play in Big 12 country at Missouri.’”

Walker doesn’t have that sales pitch any more, but the Tigers didn’t make the SEC leap alone. Texas A&M’s departure from the Big 12 has helped with SEC exposure in Texas, Walker said.

“I still think we can get kids out of there,” he said, “just because we have such a good history there.”

Thanks to that history, Missouri expects a crowd of high school players and coaches to attend the team’s practices this week at AT&T Stadium, Jerry Jones’ palatial home of the Dallas Cowboys. An NCAA dead period is in effect until Jan. 15, meaning coaches can’t have face-to-face contact with recruits or their parents.

Still, the eyes of Texas — at least a few — will be on the Tigers this week.

“You can’t talk to the kids,” Walker said, “but you can wink at them.”

They may be right but Hogville is the absolute worst place to get info. I'd trust the Arky recruiting thread on their board here more if they're saying the same thing.

ETA - And they're saying the same thing here.

Bugs me how we turned down (apparently) Markel Smith and Dominique Booth, and will still have open spots in this class...

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I try not to get too worked up too soon about any kid.

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SO much of this.

I am concerne about the lack of DL in this class, no question. Have been for a while. But, I like the kids we've got.

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Curious, where are you hearing all this stuff?

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The Arky board has an actual quote attributed to Wallace narrowing it to Alabama and Arkansas. I didn't bother to try to go verify the quote, but it was in actual quotations so I'm assuming he actually said it. It wasn't one of those, my barber's sister's boyfriend knew a guy type of thing. Booth is just my gut and just some trends on 247. Really nothing more than that.

Some 247 national guy said that it was down to Arky and Bama for Wallace and that he announces at the Army all star game.

Not sure about the early lean. Seems there was no talk that Wallace was interested except for the last month. His best chance for early playing time is Arky. Some Rivals guys thought Mizzou had made progress in the last month, but they were the only ones. Scout and 247 didn't show any change between Mizzou and BW. Some of the posters on the other site had heard it was between Bama and Arky about a week ago. Wish BW the best of luck, there is still a chance he picks Mizzou even, but he won't make or break our class. I like the OL coming in. They will probably all red shirt, but that is a good thing.

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It was all Missouri until then. Says Arky will be the pick. Dropped Missouri from the "final" choice to lower the heat from the hometown fans.

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Not saying that's wrong, but have you ever seen a Missouri kid drop us to take the heat off? It usually works the other way, to make the home-state folks feel better about having a chance (Ezekiel Elliott).

Hogville is the worst. If you are a betting man, you could make money betting the opposite of what they say is going to happen with their predictions. They had DGB going to Arky and said he was a lock literally up until the time he announced he was going to Mizzou.

I always try to remember, these are high school kids, and they can change their minds right up until the time they sign a LOI.

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I always try to remember, these are high school kids, and they can change their minds right up until the time they sign a LOI.

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This kid is particularly reticent. Wouldn't be surprised if no one really has a good idea where he's going.

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We need more help on the defensive side of the ball. Would love to get 2 of those LB's

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Yes. I would hate to think (per some of the earlier conversation in this thread) that this class is essentially done. Coming off an 11 or 12 win season, now is the time to put as much hay in the barn as possible.