Al Davis is in his first season on the Missouri coaching staff, and only a month into his role as defensive line coach, but it seems he feels he has a potential star in the making on his hands.

Speaking on Mizzou head coach Eli Drinkwitz’s radio show Wednesday night, Davis had high praise for freshman defensive lineman Mekhi Wingo.

“Mekhi Wingo is going to be a superstar at the University of Missouri,” Davis told host Mike Kelly. “He’s going to be the leader of the football team one day.”

A 6-foot-1, 275-pound lineman from St. Louis, Missouri, Wingo joined the Mizzou program this summer and is in his first year with the team. A former 3-star in the 247Sports Composite, Wingo was the 74th-ranked defensive line prospect in his Class of 2021.

In 9 games so far, Wingo has 18 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, a sack, and an interception returned for a touchdown.

Wingo was the 2020 Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Missouri. His high school coach said at the time, “I know this isn’t fair to the kid, but Mekhi Wingo is the high school version of (LA Rams defensive tackle) Aaron Donald.” High praise appears to be nothing new for the rising first-year player.