One could say the Missouri Tigers were late to the party on former 2013 four-star running back Ezekiel Elliott, an in-state prospect who has now earned 2015 Heisman frontrunner status after a pair of 200-yard games in the College Football Playoff.

Elliott, a native of St. Louis whose parents both earned varsity letters as athletes for the Tigers, was an avid fan as a kid who was soured on Missouri after Gary Pinkel and staff failed to extend a scholarship offer until Urban Meyer and Ohio State came calling.

“I went to the (Missouri) spring game every year, I went to regular-season games,” Elliott recently said in an interview with the Kansas City Star. “Mizzou was the team I followed my whole life. It was my dream school.”

As a senior at John Burroughs High during the 2012 season, the nation’s fourth-best all-purpose back Elliott accounted for 3,061 total yards and 50 touchdowns, including 2,155 rush yards and 40 scores on the ground as his stock exploded.

He committed to the Buckeyes on April 1, 2012, and it was too late for the home state Tigers. Elliott took his final official visit to Missouri two weeks before National Signing Day, but stuck to his original decision despite Pinkel and the Tigers rolling out the red carpet during his stay.

RELATED: Did extensive media coverage help Buckeyes during Elliott’s recruitment?

Elliott’s recruiting saga has become a primary talking point over the last 48 hours since he became America’s most popular ballcarrier. He was even asked about his decision by several media members only minutes after finishing off Oregon with his fourth touchdown during Ohio State’s blowout win Monday night int he national championship game.

“I know my Dad would’ve loved for me to go to Missouri, but he’s definitely a Buckeyes fan now and we’re both proud of my decision,” Elliott told CampusInsiders.com’s Bonnie Bernstein.

‘Ones that got away’ is a common theme in college football, especially with the way recruiting is now handled with wall-to-wall coverage, scouting reports and career tracking. Elliott is another example of an elite player that would’ve likely stayed home had the Tigers got on him early.

Elliott has handled the recent onslaught of questions concerning his recruitment with class and hasn’t bashed his parents’ former school.