The Missouri Tigers landed the No. 39 recruiting class in the country in ’14, finishing 13th in the SEC just months after winning an East Division title.

How much did that class contribute to the team’s SEC East title defense during the 2014 season, which ended with yet another January bowl win?

Player Position Starts Games Played
Lawrence Lee WR 0 8
Nate Brown WR 1 9
Thomas Wilson S 0 13
Kenya Dennis* CB 11 13
Ish Witter RB 0 12
Logan Cheadle CB 0 13

*Junior college transfer

Overall, just six of the team’s initial class of 29 played at least one game. Those six players participated in a combined 68 games, starting 12. Junior college transfer cornerback Kenya Dennis claimed 11 of those, fighting his way into the lineup early in the season and arguably surpassing Aarion Penton as the team’s best cornerback by season’s end.

Dennis, physical at 6-foot, 200 pounds, has a chance to emerge as the team’s best defensive back in 2014 as safety Braylon Webb has exhausted his eligibility.

He’s not alone in the secondary from the 2014 class, which right now looks like its strongest position. Thomas Wilson and Logan Cheadle played in all 13 games, mostly on special teams, but they’ll be a big part of the team going forward and have a great chance to earn starting jobs if not in 2015, before they leave Mizzou.

On offense, RB Ish Witter (27 carries, 101 yards) and WR Nate Brown (5 catches, 45 yards) made immediate contributions and should get a chance at expanded roles this fall.

Overall, Missouri didn’t get much in the way of contributions from the ’14 class — maybe less than any other program in the SEC.

Lawrence Lee, one of six players from the class that got into a game, already has been kicked off the team. S Greg Taylor didn’t qualify academically, while Darnell Green-Beckham, Dorial Green-Beckham’s younger brother, decided not to pursue football. Tavon Ross and Walter Brady also went through some hangups regarding NCAA eligibility.

Missouri did a better job of leveraging its on-field success after its second SEC East title, finishing the ’15 recruiting cycle ranked in the Top 25 of the 247Sports Composite rankings.

As far as this ’14 signing class is concerned, LB Brandon Lee, WR Desean Blair and WR Keyon Dilosa are three of the redshirts most likely to make an impact this year. At this point it would be nice to get at least a few starters out of the group in ’15 and an additional half-dozen players making solid contributions.