Missouri’s recruiting class adds four new names during early signing period

While Missouri had already won the day with a trio of high-profile graduate transfers — including two four-star quarterbacks with Power 5 starting experience — the Tigers’ first day of the early signing period only got better.

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Missouri picked up the commitments and signatures of four additional players:

• 3-star Canton (Mich.) defensive end Darius Robinson
• 3-star Wesson (Miss.) JUCO DT Chris Daniels
• 3-star Alabany (Ga.) LB Jamie Pettway
• 3-star Detroit (Mich.) OLB Devin Nicholson

Pettway and Robinson are, on paper anyway, the biggest new names of the day. That’s especially true for Pettway, who Missouri managed to pull out of Georgia over offers from Georgia Tech, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Louisville and others. At 6-foot-2, 234-pounds, Pettway already has the size for college and could, conceivably, play at all three linebacker spots.

Robinson, in a similar vein, has college size already at 6-foot-5, 255-pounds, and he also had a solid offer list including Colorado, Minnesota, Syracuse and Iowa State.

Daniels is an interesting recruit as he was a four-star player who signed with Texas, went the junior college route and committed to Minnesota before eventually signing with Missouri on Wednesday. Daniels is listed at 6-foot-3, 300 pounds and should add some needed depth and ready-to-play-ability to a defensive line that will be missing Terry Beckner Jr. and Walter Palmore.

With these four additions, Missouri’s class made a nice jump in the rankings and remember — this doesn’t include the additions of Kelly Bryant, Shawn Robinson and Jonathan Nance, all graduate transfers.

According to Rivals (bizarrely, 247Sports.com has yet to update Missouri’s new signees), the class now ranks 31st in the nation, up from 38th at the start of the day. This is Missouri’s highest-rated class since 2015, which ranked 27th. However, with a month and a half left until the original National Signing Day, Missouri has the chance to move up — or down.

Only two commitments did not sign with Missouri on Wednesday: Arvell Ferguson and Shemar Pearl, both defensive ends. This usually indicates that both players have work to do, qualification-wise.