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I want to thank everyone that has shown me love and support throughout the process. All the schools for the opportunities.
— Marquise Doherty (@conKEYSEtador) December 26, 2014
And I would like to thank god for the blessing. I am verbally committed to the University of Missouri. #MIZ pic.twitter.com/vyduM07WAe
— Marquise Doherty (@conKEYSEtador) December 26, 2014
#MizzouMade: North Kansas City, MO! GP
— Coach Gary Pinkel (@GaryPinkel) December 26, 2014
A late Christmas present just arrived for Gary Pinkel and his staff: on Friday afternoon, Marquise Doherty committed to Mizzou over Oregon.
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A 6'0, 200-pound, four-star running back from Kansas City's Winnetonka high school, Doherty visited Eugene on November 21 and Columbia on December 12; he is a gifted baseball player, and there is a chance he might go high enough in the 2015 baseball draft that he elects to go pro in that regard. If he does end up wearing black and gold beginning next fall, here are some highlights to get to know.
Doherty's biggest strength seems to simply be all-around athleticism and football IQ. He is listed as a running back and could stick there, but if he were to move to receiver or defensive back, one gets the impression that he would pick up on it pretty quickly. He is a nice mix of high ceiling and high floor.
From ESPN.com's lengthy scouting report, which suggests he could hold quite a bit more weight if asked:
Doherty is an impressive athlete and stands out against this level of competition. He has experience on defense and displays very good ball skills when employed in the passing game. He is a versatile guy. Not sure his speed is elite when matched up against equal caliber players, but it is very competitive.
Doherty is Missouri's 15th commitment in the 2015 class; he is also the fifth four-star commit alongside quarterback Drew Lock, JUCO running back Chase Abbington, running back Nate Strong, and offensive lineman A.J. Harris. It was unclear if Missouri was going to take commitments from any more offensive players, but you find room for four-star in-staters.