Missouri recruiting: 5 takeaways after Day 1 of Early Signing Period
By Steve Marik
Published:
Mizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz had 22 commits on the first day of the Early Signing Period on Wednesday, and he won a couple of recruiting battles that should pay off on the field soon.
According to 247sports, Drinkwitz’s 2021 class ranks 9th in the SEC and 26th nationally. That blows last year’s finish out of the water, as the Tigers were 13th in the conference and 51st in the nation.
Here are 5 takeaways from the Tigers’ class after Day 1 of ESP:
There were the good kind of flips
A few days before the Early Signing Period, Drinkwitz and his staff convinced local wideout Dominic Lovett, a 3-star teammate of Mizzou quarterback signee Tyler Macon, to decommit from Arizona State and stay home at Mizzou. That’s a big-time move for the Tigers, as Lovett should compete for snaps early in his career.
While Lovett’s flip came before the Early Signing Period, Arden Walker’s came on Wednesday. Walker, a 6-4, 248-pound defensive end from Englewood, Colo., was expected to sign with UCLA or maybe hometown Colorado, but instead is headed to Columbia. He’s going to be a solid addition to a unit that needed to add depth — the defensive line.
Reinforcements are coming for D-line
The Tigers are senior-heavy in their 2-deep along the defensive line, so Mizzou really made it a priority to bring in talent to help out if those seniors choose to leave.
Mission accomplished.
Mizzou has 8 defensive line recruits in 4-star Travion Ford and 3-stars Kyran Montgomery, Shemar Pearl, Walker, Jonathan Jones, Mekhi Wingo and a couple of junior college guys in Realus George, a 6-2, 295-pound pickup from Independence Community College in Kansas, and Daniel Robledo, a 6-4, 285-pounder from East Los Angeles College.
The defensive backs are big
Mizzou defensive coordinator Ryan Walters will have 5 new defensive backs to work with next season in 3-stars Daylan Carnell, Davion Sistrunk, Tyler Hibbler, Darius Jackson and Zxaequan Reeves, who hands down has the best name of the class of 2021.
The noticeable part with this DB group is its length — all 5 are listed at 6-1 or taller. The top-rated corner of the group, Carnell of Indianapolis, is 6-1 and 195 pounds while the top safety, in-state product Hibbler of Trinity Catholic High School in St. Louis, comes in at 6-1 198.
It’s finally official with Tyler Macon
Did Mizzou officially ink next season’s starting quarterback? No — Macon isn’t that … yet.
With redshirt freshman Connor Bazelak enjoying a breakout season, Macon is looking more like the future of the Mizzou offense rather than the now. But having Macon, a 3-star from East St. Louis, in the fold wouldn’t hurt competition at practice. The guy certainly doesn’t lack confidence, and he’ll have a chip on his shoulder for those who put him all the way at No. 15 in the dual-threat quarterback ratings.
The 6-foot, 200-pound Macon is a confident dude and he’s been all-in with Mizzou since March. He’ll get to campus ready to roll. Fans should love that.
Daylan Carnell might be one to watch
If there’s an under-the-radar prospect in the class of 2021, it might be Carnell. He looks the part physically at 6-1, 195 pounds and would be a nice counterpart to Ennis Rakestraw, a freshman from Texas who starts for the Tigers at corner.
Sure, the lineup at corner might be tough to crack for a true freshman with Rakestraw, Jarvis Ware, Ishmael Burdine and Jaylon Carlies all set to return, but Walters has proven he’s willing to play young guys. Carnell could be the next one.
Carnell picked Mizzou over Notre Dame, Iowa and Indiana among others.
Follow veteran sportswriter Steve Marik on Twitter @YNTMarik.
