Mizzou is loading up in the secondary

Remember when Eli Drinkwitz won that huge recruiting battle recently and we all got jazzed about it? No, not that other one you’re thinking about, the one that happened this weekend.

Ah, so it appears I have to be even more specific.

One day after landing Akayleb Evans out of the transfer portal, Missouri fans were on pins and needles. After all, it’d been rumored that another talented corner was on the way. Indeed, Eli Drinkwitz delivered on that promise Sunday afternoon... but not in the way we expected.

The Missouri secondary added another touted prospect on Sunday, this one a 2022 recruit previously committed elsewhere in the Southeastern Conference. Cornerback Marcus Scott II, a four-star prospect by Rivals.com, flipped his pledge from Louisiana State to Missouri while on his official visit in Columbia...

I have to say, flipping highly-rated prospects from blue blood-adjacent schools is not how I saw things going for Eli Drinkwitz at Mizzou. Am I here for it, though? Yes, I am.

Secondary coach Aaron Fletcher had this to say shortly after the commitment...

This is a pretty cryptic tweet from Coach Fletcher, which makes total sense given the amount of behind-the-scenes shenanigans that happen in college recruiting. He could very well be referring to Scott, who in a vacuum is one of the biggest program recruiting wins in the past five to 10 years. However, Scott was far from the only thing on many fans’ minds. After all, Allie Green IV the former Tulsa corner, teammate of Evans and player under Fletcher, was supposed to announce his commitment on Sunday night. Mizzou, maybe unsurprisingly, is widely considered the favorite.

However, Green’s pledged announcement time of 7 pm came and went. On Instagram, he later posted the following in his stories...

This could be the world of NCAA recruiting, with some coaches from rival schools making last minute pitches, forcing Green to listen before his pen hits paper. It could also be due to the fact that Marcus Scott, perhaps unwittingly, stepped on Green’s big day. He may want to wait for the freshest news cycle to announce, guaranteeing him some uninterrupted runway amongst the fanbase. It seems we’ll find out soon enough.

Imagine, though. It’s two years ago, and someone tells you that in four years Mizzou is landing a coveted pair of transfer cornerbacks to go along with the four-star flip... all in three days. Would you believe that person? You should. Also, ask them to bring back a sports almanac from the future.

Yesterday at Rock M

• In which Sam investigates why Mizzou Hoops struggles so damn much against Ole Miss
• In which Eli Drinkwitz continues to WIN. AT. CROOTIN.

More Links:

• In continued football recruiting news...

Stokes is a 3-star 2022 running back out of Columbia, SC, and boasts offers from Michigan (he has an official next weekend) and Penn State.

Oh, and to answer your question, CJ, yes. Columbia East to Columbia Best is the move.

• Speaking of summer recruiting, Mizzou Hoops had an important visitor on campus yesterday...

Seeing that #notcommitted had me double-checking, not gonna lie. Mitchell, Rivals’ 8th ranked overall player in 2022, has officially been on two visits to Missouri. Of course, he’s a 5-star so he can just pick his school... but two visits!

• The Denver Nuggets were ousted from the NBA Playoffs in ahem sweeping fashion, but at least Michael Porter, Jr. played well? MPJ put up 20 points, 4 boards and 3 steals in the Nuggets Game 4 loss. Bonus: He didn’t slug anyone in the face! (Editor’s note: that call was overblown, IMHO. It was a flagrant-1)
• Eric Blum at the Columbia Tribune wrote about Tyler Badie, who is preparing for his first (only?) season as Mizzou’s lead back.
• Hey Sean Durugordon, if you want to drop these sorts of dimes in college, too, we wouldn’t be mad. Just saying.
• The Mizzou Track & Field season ended this weekend, and four Tigers will move on to compete at the coming U.S. Olympic Trials.
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