RECRUITING: Get to know the 2022 class

We’ve looked at the current roster and the incoming class of 2021 recruits, so now let’s take a look at the near future. Specifically, the 2022 recruiting class!

So far Missouri only has one recruit in the class - Lee’s Summit tight end Max Whisner - so this will mostly be counting the existing offers and salivating at the possibilities of talented gents who could don the black and gold.

Just like yesterday, let’s start with the in-state recruits:

The 2018 state of Missouri recruiting class was “the greatest ever”, featuring eight blue-chip prospects, three of which were in the Top 100 and five in the Top 250. The 2022 class, so far, has seven blue-chip prospects - including the #1 receiver in the country - with three in the Top 100 and six in the Top 250. Not too shabby!

Of the Top 15 in-state recruits, Missouri has offered all but one. And of those 14, eight have Missouri as the current club house leader: Kevin Coleman, Tyson Ford, Toriano Pride, Ali Wells, Marquis Gracial, Jamarion Wayne, Kaleb Purdy, and of course current commit, Max Whisner. Coleman, Ford, and Pride are Top 250 recruits in the country so Missouri will probably not nab all three...but wow how cool would it be if they did?

Let’s break down the current offers by position to see who they’re chasing after so far:

Quarterbacks

No matter your quarterback situation, teams need to take a quarterback in every single class and Missouri is shooting their shot on some lofty goals at QB. Quin Ewers was most recently committed to Texas, but backed out a few weeks ago. No, he’s not coming to Mizzou, but he does have a killer mullet. As far as actual recruits who could join the Tigers, so far, there aren’t any who have shown enough interest. But there will be at least one quarterback who joins Bazelak and Macon in 2022.

Running Backs

Four Texans are on this list, plus one from Pennsylvania, Missouri, Florida, Tennessee, and Arkansas. None are super interested in Missouri right now, but don’t fret, it’s still early.

Wide Receivers

Receiver is a position of need in ‘21, and given the lack of returns so far, will also be a major focus in ‘22. Luckily Missouri is doing well so far: Phaizon Wilson decommited from Texas last week and Missouri is apparently sitting well with him. Parkway West’s Jamarion Wayne and Ma’leeyon Winfield out of Dallas’ Skyline High School are also Missouri leans at this point. Luther Burden committed to Oklahoma, but there’s a long time between now and 2022’s signing day...

Tight Ends

Max Whisner is on board and I’m not sure how many tight ends Drinkwtiz and Casey Woods want to keep on the roster. Tight end isn’t a super deep class so far, but that can change over the next few months. However many the Tigers take in this class will give us a better idea on how they want to prioritize and utilize the position.

Offensive Tackles

You’ll notice that most of these offers are to blue chip recruits which, at this point, makes sense: send out offers to the heavy hitters and see who shows interest, and if you need to move on you have plenty of time to scout and chase the 2/3-star recruits. The only tackle who has Missouri in good standing right now is Bryson Hurst, but Aliou Bah has also mentioned Missouri with plenty of favor. As I’ve said before, it’s still early, so plenty of time for development.

Interior Offensive Line

No real interest shown yet from the interior linemen, but also, not a lot of commitments to any school at this point. There’s plenty more offers to go out, especially once the season is over, but offensive line will be a huge focus for 2022 given the potential four guys that could leave.

Defensive Ends

Missouri has offered the usual blue chips at this point, but in this instance, they have some decent bites. Both Tyson Ford out of St. Louis’ John Burroughs and Sterling Lane from Oaks Christian in California are leaning towards the Tigers at this point. Both are 4-stars and Ford is a Top 100 recruit from STL; good momentum so far in this area.

Defensive Tackles

Marquis Gracial is the lone Missouri lean from this group, although Domonique Orange has the Tigers in a tie with Nebraska. Mizzou needs to load up on interior linemen in the ‘22 class, so expect a lot more movement with this position group.

Linebackers

You know I think that there are too many linebackers on the roster right now, and so far, this offer sheet makes the most sense to me. Mizzou doesn’t need too many so I would expect this list to stay pretty small.

Cornerbacks

Cornerback has a ton of movement so far. Toriano Pride, Julian Humphrey out of Houston’s Clear Lake, and East St. Louis product Ahmad Robinson are all showing early interest in Missouri, and two of those three are blue chippers. Missouri is getting a huge influx of defensive backs in the ‘21 class, but I guarantee they’d take all three of these guys if they wanted to jump on board.

Safeties

DeSmet’s Kaleb Purdy is the lone interest right now from the safety group, but there’s some big fish Missouri is targeting from this group. Safety should always be a position of emphasis as long as the Tigers are running a 4-2-5.

Conclusion

Drinkwitz is hitting Missouri and Texas hard early on, working the burgeoning Indianapolis pipeline, and even targeted five kids from Illinois so far. However, there are no targets from Colorado at this point, and only two kids from the Centennial State in the ‘21 recruiting big board. Whether that’s because they’re still working on establishing relationships or haven’t found SEC-caliber players - or both - it’s interesting that the main pillar to Drinkwitz’s recruiting plan hasn’t really taken form yet. While we shouldn’t draw too many conclusions from a recruiting big board that still has 14 months to develop, it’s always good to check in and keep track of the possibilities and how these relationships develop.