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It’s always a bit ominous when Mizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz sends out his famed Bat Signal in the middle of the afternoon, and then you proceed to hear crickets for the next 18ish or so hours. But we knew this moment was coming, it was just a matter of who the tweet was about.
This morning we got word when Merrilville, Indiana athlete and 3-star Safety prospect announced he was committing to the Tigers.
Im blessed to announce that I will continue my football career at @MizzouFootball. I wanna thank my parents, my coaches, and everyone who believed in me #miz23 #commited@CoachBlakeBaker @CoachDrinkwitz @mhspiratefball @IndianaPreps @AllenTrieu @Rivals_Clint @SWiltfong247 pic.twitter.com/nA1xdVn4kZ
— Phillip. Roche (@PhillipRoche4) October 11, 2022
Get to know: Phillip Roche
Hometown: Merrilville, Indiana
High School: Merrilville HS
Position: Athlete / Defensive Back
Ht/Wt: 6’1 / 190
Rivals Ranking: 3-star, 5.6
247Composite Ranking: 3-star, 0.8400
Total announced offers: 13
Offers to note: Cincinnati, Indiana, Nebraska, Purdue
I’ll let someone else much better than me at evaluating High School football video tell you about his skill sets on the gridiron.
What they’re saying:
2023 three-star safety Phillip Roche has committed to Missouri. He chose the Tigers over offers from Nebraska, Cincinnati, Purdue and a handful of other programs.
— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) October 11, 2022
MORE: https://t.co/Loe0A9p29w pic.twitter.com/sqAR7ZMUPs
Merrillville (Ind.) High safety Phillip Roche commits to #Mizzou: https://t.co/JDfiLJyU1m https://t.co/RizD9s9mrO
— Steve Wiltfong (@SWiltfong247) October 11, 2022
@mhspiratefball @PhillipRoche4 @NWIndianaLife @ald3163 @IlliniFootball @247Sports Phillip Roche 6ft 190lbs Safety/RB pic.twitter.com/zmkat0JI5p
— Sean Roch'e (@rocbottomdeal) October 30, 2021
Roche is the third defensive back prospect to be added to this class, including projected corner Shamar McNeil out of Plantation, FL and Nick DeLoach out of Cahokia. A secondary manned by Roche and DeLoach would be fun but, as we know, projected positions and actual positions don’t always line up. Regardless, it seems this staff is still looking to stock a secondary - that has performed incredibly well this year - with extra pieces while the offensive line additions have been minimal so far. It’ll be interesting to see how scholarship management plays out going forward regarding high school signees vs. portal additions.
Regardless, welcome to Mizzou, Phillip! Be awesome!
Mizzou 2023 Commitment List
| Pos | Recruit Name | Hometown | Commitment Date | Rivals Rate | Rivals Rank | 247 Rate | 247 Rank | Ht | Wt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Recruit Name | Hometown | Commitment Date | Rivals Rate | Rivals Rank | 247 Rate | 247 Rank | Ht | Wt |
| TE | Brett Norfleet | St. Charles, MO | 11/21/2021 | 4-star | 5.8 | 3-star | 0.9078 | 6'7 | 225 |
| DE | Jahkai Lang | Troy, MO | 12/17/2021 | 3-star | 5.7 | 3-star | 0.8778 | 6'4 | 240 |
| QB | Gabarri Johnson | Tacoma, WA | 5/8/2022 | 4-star | 5.8 | 4-star | 0.8956 | 6'0 | 200 |
| K | Blake Craig | Liberty, MO | 6/5/2022 | 2-star | 5.3 | NA | NA | 5'11 | 180 |
| WR | Marquis Johnson | Dickinson, TX | 6/13/2022 | N/A | N/A | 3-star | 0.8711 | 6'0 | 176 |
| DB | Nicholas DeLoach, Jr | Cahokia, IL | 6/25/2022 | 3-star | 5.5 | 3-star | 0.8467 | 6'1 | 170 |
| ATH | Jamal Roberts | St. Louis, MO | 7/3/2022 | 3-star | 5.6 | 3-star | 0.8689 | 6'1 | 200 |
| WR | Joshua Manning | Lee's Summit, MO | 7/21/2022 | 4-star | 5.8 | 4-star | 0.9111 | 6'3 | 190 |
| CB | Shamar McNeil | Fort Lauderdale, FL | 7/30/2022 | 3-star | 5.5 | 3-star | 0.8417 | 6'3 | 175 |
| LB | Brayshawn Littlejohn | Gaffney, SC | 8/14/2022 | 3-star | 5.5 | 3-star | 0.8558 | 6'2 | 220 |
| OT | Logan Reichert | Raytown, MO | 9/8/2022 | 4-star | 5.9 | 4-star | 0.8997 | 6'7 | 345 |
| DB | Phillip Roche | Merrilville, IN | 10/11/2022 | 3-star | 5.6 | 3-star | 0.8400 | 6'1 | 190 |
| WR | Daniel Blood | Destrehan, LA | 11/24/2022 | 3-star | 5.5 | 3-star | 0.8511 | 6'0 | 175 |
| LB | Triston Newson | Independence, MS | 11/25/2022 | NA | NA | NA | NA | 6'1 | 225 |
| S | Marvin Burks Jr. | St. Louis, MO | 12/4/2022 | 4-star | 5.80 | 4-star | 0.9018 | 6'2 | 195 |
| 5.64 | 0.8745 |
Welcome, Phillip! And M-I-Z!
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