So this was prescient: Mizzou is loading up on official visitors for the weekends of January 20 and 27 to close out the 2017 class -- thus far, six prospects are scheduled for next weekend, three for the week after -- but Tiger coaches left this week's dance card empty, presumably so they go out and about and focus on visiting recruits themselves.
That's a very good thing, as it's pretty difficult to complete a solid official visit when the town is one giant sheet of ice. Columbia Public Schools were canceled an entire day in advance of the presumptive winter storm, and Mizzou told people not to come back from winter break until Monday.
Weather advisory. We recommend students not return to campus for the spring semester until Monday, Jan. 16. https://t.co/QfSZe9vQcS
— Mizzou (@Mizzou) January 12, 2017
Regardless of when people are coming to town, the Post-Dispatch’s Dave Matter notes that Mizzou has had to cast a pretty large net to fill the 2017 class. Such is the case when you’re aiming to ink 28 or so guys and don’t have many in your backyard to offer.
The 21 high school and junior college players who have pledged verbal commitments to Mizzou attend schools in 15 different states. That’s more states represented than any other class across the Southeastern Conference. The Tigers have just one commitment from a player who attends high school in Missouri, wide receiver Da’Ron Davis from Lee’s Summit North. Jafar Armstrong, a receiver from the Kansas City area, lives in Missouri but attends high school in Kansas, at Bishop Miege in Shawnee Mission.
While next year’s in-state class is loaded with priority recruits, Missouri offered scholarships to only six 2017 players from Missouri high schools, plus a few more from just outside the state border in Kansas and Illinois.
A new offer went out this week, by the way, to Baton Rouge defensive tackle Shannon Forman. He was pretty excited.
Blessed and Honored to receive my first SEC offered from University of Mizzou #GoTigers ⚫ pic.twitter.com/LUMjwijHG1
— Shannon Forman (@biggiewya) January 12, 2017
Forman is a low-three-star prospect, but his recruitment appears to be catching fire late in the process. He also received an offer from Arizona State yesterday.
Other Links
- The Trib’s Blake Toppmeyer looked at Mizzou’s mach-speed tempo and asks how much it matters.
- “Remember when it mattered?”
- Kim Anderson wants Jordan Barnett to get meaner in advance of Mizzou’s Saturday evening tip at Arkansas.
- Charles Harris found his representation.
.@DavidMulugheta and I are proud to welcome Charles Harris to the @AthletesFirst family. #ourpassrushersdominate #nojoke pic.twitter.com/y3nh7XFury
— Ryan Williams (@RyanWilliamsA1) January 13, 2017
- Your sixth-ranked Mizzou Gymnastics team takes on No. 12 Arkansas tonight in Fayetteville.
- The good news: Sophie Cunningham scored 32 points on just 17 field goal attempts yesterday in the Mizzou Women’s Hoops game at LSU. The bad news: It wasn’t enough to overcome 27 team turnovers. Mizzou fell, 80-71; it was their third straight SEC loss and their first by more than two points. Per The Trib’s Joe Vozzelli, it was the fifth time this year that Mizzou had more than 20 giveaways.
- Meanwhile, Mizzou Wrestling is down to No. 9 overall but took care of business against Buffalo on Thursday, winning the first seven matches and cruising, 28-8. The Tigers took care of business despite the fact that J’den Cox is getting the week off.
- Softball practice continues this week, at least until the power goes out. Danielle Baumgartner’s pitching has impressed.
- The SEC was technically still the best conference in the country (per my numbers), but the year belonged to the ACC.
- Got back from a few days in Nashville yesterday and knocked out a new PAPN.