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How Missouri evolves as a recruiting entity is one of the key questions of the Barry Odom tenure.
During the coach Gary Pinkel era, the Tigers prided themselves in locating raw athleticism, coaxing it to Columbia, Mo., and coaching it into legitimate skill.
Mizzou hit on several NFL talents, especially along the offensive and defensive lines. It’s hard to argue with it considering Pinkel guided the program to back-to-back SEC East division titles, not to mention several division titles in the Big 12.
But the Tigers will increase the likelihood of long-term success by upgrading its recruiting practices. Diamonds in the rough are great, but diamonds are even better.
The team barely touched the fringe of the top 25 in the 247Sports composite rankings during Pinkel’s tenure. In the SEC, even teams like Kentucky sniff around the top 25. The goal of the relatively new staff spearheaded by Odom should be to push for more touted talent while maintaining the top-notch development once that talent arrives on campus.
Mizzou needs to scour locations like St. Louis and Kansas City, keep its top home-grown talent and then look to pick off a few other players from junior colleges in neighboring Kansas as well as hotbeds like Texas and Florida. It will also help if the new athletic director and football coach can push through facilities upgrades that the previous duo was on the cusp of completing.
Odom did not get thrown into an ideal recruiting situation with Pinkel’s sudden retirement coming at the end of a 5-7 season that also saw the football team briefly go on strike for a race-related protest movement on campus. But already he has landed two important commitments, and the previously-committed players seem happy with him.
Overall, it is difficult to judge Odom’s recruiting class just a few weeks into his tenure.
OFFENSE: C (8 TOTAL COMMITS)
Mizzou’s only four-star commitment, running back Natereace Strong, was ticketed as part of the team’s 2015 class, but did not qualify academically. So he’s been pointed toward Columbia for quite some time.
Expected to join him at the position is Darius Anderson, a speedy, sharp-cutting running back from Richmond, Texas.
As poorly as Missouri’s pass-catchers have played this season, the team has almost an excess of young players in that grouping. The No. 1 priority there is coaching up the guys on hand. You’d like to see the team add a quarterback as well, especially if Maty Mauk doesn’t return.
The team holds commitments from four offensive linemen, though one is a “soft commit.” That’s another area that the team must improve, although getting a new offensive line coach should help as well.
DEFENSE: C- (7 TOTAL COMMITS)
At the top of the recruiting rankings on defense are a pair of ends in Marvin Terry (6-foot-2, 222 pounds) and Tre Williams (6-foot-4, 220 pounds). Both of them are smaller, and seem to fit the mold of pass rushers. Outside linebacker Trey Baldwin (6-foot-2, 223 pounds), the third-ranked commit, fits a similar physical profile.
With long-time defensive line coach Craig Kuligowski unlikely to return to Mizzou, it will be interesting to see if the team can continue that pipeline.
Three defensive backs and a bigger defensive end round out the current crop of commitments.
RECRUITING NEEDS
Running back seems like a pressing concern with Russell Hansbrough set to graduate and the rest of the position group underwhelming. But the team already has addressed this concern, assuming Strong and Anderson sign.
Offensive line is another huge need — metaphorically and literally — as Evan Boehm, Connor McGovern, Taylor Chappell, Brad McNulty and Mitch Hall all depart. At 6-foot-7 and 255 pounds, Royce Newman has the frame to develop into a nice SEC tackle. But the team could use another higher-end commitment here.
The team also must replace Kenya Dennis and Ian Simon in the secondary, and with John Gibson and Aarion Penton set to return for just one more season, reinforcements need to be secured now.
An itinerant journalist, Christopher has moved between states 11 times in seven years. Formally an injury-prone Division I 800-meter specialist, he now wanders the Rockies in search of high peaks.
