Did you know.....?

That 2021 Mizzou tight end commit Gavin McKay’s dad, Orlando McKay, just so happened to play under Gary Pinkel at Washington, while Pinkel was the offensive coordinator there?

That’s pretty dang cool.

This was mentioned in The Athletic, as Peter Baugh wrote a Q and A piece with tight end commit Gavin McKay (subscription needed). The conversation includes how McKay’s recruiting process went, his first impressions of Eli Drinkwitz, and much more.

Here are a couple of tidbits from the interview:

McKay became the second commitment of Missouri’s 2021 recruiting class, and he has high expectations as this class starts to unfold:

It’s been really great to see all the guys who have hopped on board with the #NewZou ever since I committed. I already see the camaraderie forming among us. We have group chat and we do Zoom meetings, and it’s just been really awesome to see this class really come together under Drink. We’ve got one goal in mind, and that’s to win the SEC East. I feel like that’s something we can really accomplish with this class we’ve got.

As of right now, and it’s still very early, but Missouri’s recruiting class is currently ranked 20th on Rivals and 22nd on 247Sports composite.

And here’s what McKay had to say about Drinkwitz:

First of all, I knew he was a man of God. That’s something that’s very important to me when it comes to a coach I’ll be working with for my college career. I just knew he was a great guy from the moment I stepped foot on campus. He’s very caring and passionate about what he does. It’s a whole family environment around that’s something I really want to be a part of.

This was a fun conversation to read with Peter Baugh and Gavin McKay, so be sure to check out the full interview on The Athletic. (Also.....you should subscribe to The Athletic if you haven’t done so already).

Onto the links!

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Yesterday at Rock M

• Brandon Kiley writes that Eli Drinkwitz is off to a fantastic start on the recruiting trail

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More Links:

(PowerMizzou)

• Mitchell Forde’s latest piece goes Inside Mizzou’s red-hot recruiting week
• ($$) Sean Williams has the latest Commit Analysis on Tyler Hibbler
• ($$) Gabe DeArmond covers recruiting and much more in the latest edition of his mailbag

(KC Star)

• Don’t miss Cuonzo Martin, along with many other Kansas City sports figures, who will discuss race and sports on The Star’s Facebook page Thursday at 2:00 p.m. CT.

(Columbia Missourian)

• From the staff, MU’s Jack Parker in second after Day 1 MGA Amateur Championships

(Columbia Daily Tribune)

• From Eli Lederman, Former Mizzou star Sophie Cunningham ready for shortened WNBA season ....(Be sure to follow Sophie with the Phoenix Mercury as the 22-game season is set to start July 24th!)
• MU notebook: Luper talks recruiting, veteran leaders, coaching his son — writes Eli Lederman

(Miscellaneous/Tweets)

• Shemar Pearl’s updated recruiting ranking on 247Sports is out, and he comes in as the sixth best JUCO prospect.
• Look (eyeball emoji) at this! MPJ getting ready for the NBA season to resume, working out with Nicodemus Christopher!

• ICYMI, Mizzou Baseball is set to compete in the 2021 Frisco College Baseball Classic

• Here are the latest Mizzou hoops offers on the updated 247Sports 2021 players rankings

• Congrats to Mitchell Smith, who will represent Mizzou Basketball once again at the SEC Leadership Council!

• Emily Brown will be the ONLY freshman on the 2020 Mizzou Volleyball roster

• Be sure to vote for the Mizzou Pix Photo of the Year in the 8/9 match up between Cross Country and basketball Braggin’ Rights.

• Rest In Peace to Aarion Penton’s mother...the family has started a Go Fund Me page. Sending condolences.

• If you’re looking to sign up for ESPN+, Rock M Nation now has an affiliate link: click Here for ESPN+ Now! (** RockMNation has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though RockMNation may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links.**)