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Marquis Hayes Jr., a three-star offensive lineman from Pattonville high school in Maryland Heights, committed to Oklahoma today over offers from Missouri, Illinois, Kansas State, and others.
Excited and blessed to announce that I will be committing to the University of Oklahoma !! #BoomerSooner
— Marquis Hayes JR. (@ballgame__) July 20, 2016
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Hayes was considered an important recruit for Missouri in the 2017 class. It was an opportunity for Barry Odom and the new coaching staff to battle big schools on nearby turf, and, well, Hayes is a good offensive lineman. To say the least, OL has been a need for Mizzou in recruiting over the last couple of years.
All this said, of course, you know Missouri will continue to recruit Hayes through the fall, and if the Tigers have any decent results to share -- a bowl bid, proof of an offensive bounce back, etc. -- maybe he will continue to consider Mizzou into the winter. For now, though, he has donned the crimson hat, and it's not hard to see why.
#Mizzou needs a bounce-back year in the worst way. Recruiting pieces in 2017, 2018 in-state classes are program-changers.
— Pete Scantlebury (@PeteScantlebury) July 20, 2016
As PowerMizzou's Pete Scantlebury notes, this would be a good time for Odom and company to show promise on the field, as there is quite a bit of high-end talent in the Missouri recruiting pipeline.
The 2017 recruiting class features three 247 four-stars (Missouri commit Daron Davis, Nebraska commit Jaevon McQuitty, and uncommitted Chester Graves), and while it's early, it appears the 2018 class will feature at least three more, all from St. Louis (Michael Thompson, Kamryn Babb, Trevor Trout). You don't have to win 10 games to get attention in 2016, but you need to prove that 2015's downturn isn't the new trend.