Missouri has been holding onto a pair of linebacker commitments — Texans Chad Bailey and Cameron Wilkins — for quite a while. On Saturday, the duo became a trio when Gerald Nathan Jr. of Zebulon B. Vance high school in Charlotte joined the party.

Gerald Nathan Jr.

• Position: LB
• Height, Weight: 6’1, 200
• City (School): Charlotte, NC (Zebulon B. Vance)
• 247Sports Rating: 0.8215 (three stars, No. 67 inside linebacker)
• Rivals Rating: 3 stars (5.5)
• Other Offers of Note: Colorado, Colorado State, Iowa State

Nathan committed to Colorado State in August, but Missouri’s staff took a liking to him and convinced him to make an official visit to Columbia this weekend. It didn’t take long to flip him. By Friday night, he was no longer a CSU commit. By Saturday night, he was a Tiger.

Depending on which recruiting service you’re using, Nathan is between 6’1 and 6’2 and between about 200 and 210 pounds. He was overlooked by recruiting services, but his highlight film is devastating. This dude hits like a semi truck. I laughed out loud a couple of times watching this. With all due “playing against overmatched competition” caveats, it’s not hard to see what the Missouri staff sees in this guy.

Nathan will join a linebacking corps that returns all three starters (Terez Hall, Cale Garrett, and Brandon Lee) but has a couple of openings on the second string. One could see his hard hitting leading to an early role on special teams, but that’s all speculation for another day. WELCOME, GERALD.