Ramirez has some pretty impressive figures for what is ultimately only a good list of offers.

Nebraska is a pretty heavy offer, but otherwise the Oklahomas, Alabamas and Texas offers don't appear to be there. I wonder if he may not get a few more 'big' offers over the next several months if he has a good fall.

I wouldn't consider him locked in just yet; not with an interest list that long, 4-stars and some impressive size/speed numbers. I expect he'll get some big offers and he'll listen long and hard.

I hope this is our 'standard' uni:

http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_as...O3I_medium.jpg

Those are freakin' badass.

Kansas slit their own throats by hiring Grunhard. Coaches around the metro area hate him because they felt that he was recruiting players away from public schools to come play for his team. Grabbing a recruiter who has burned as many bridges as Grunny supposedly has just poisons the well.

Oh well. That's their problem. We're not really competing for players, anyway. Unless/until their program gets to a point where we have to worry about recruiting against them, I really don't care what they do.

I don't think so. I think he's here to stay. Let's get Zach Hannon, now.

I think he'll wind up at Mizzou as well, but we haven't done too well with Rockhurst players lately. I actually know Zach a little. I know some of his close friends well. I think he would really consider Oklahoma if he gets an offer, as they really crank out NFL O-Linemen, but I think he winds up at Mizzou.

He's def. Mizzou's to lose it sounds like decided to go to the Mizzou Spring game over Nebraska's. I don't know what USC LB situation is like but don't be surprised if they offer him.

here's stream...

http://www.firstrowsports.eu/watch/1...gold-game.html

i hate the grey on our away unis.... also hate the wings on them too...

What in the hell are those yellow atrocities?

SEC move is really hurting recruiting in KC.

The only thing Grunny will lock down is post-game pizzas for Jabba the Weis.

This class so far?

http://www.naughtybits.us/wp-content...thpark-cum.jpg

Might land a WR from Texas, J'mon Moore today as well. Not sure how this is possible since we aren't going to be able to recruit in Texas anymore, but whatever. He's got offers from Miami, West Virgina, Texas A&M, Michigan State, and several others.

Eh, just one more thing that Keitzman tried to lie about.

I like it. I like it a lot.

Damn, those are slick.

While I'll kind of miss the old helmet, I like the new one enough to not be bothered by it. Overall I'm thrilled with the change. I really disliked the old ones.

Excellent :thumb:

Good time to be an MU fan.

Keitzman gets a migraine everytime someone says those words.

Well, his head will end up exploding. The move to the SEC was just what was needed to reach the untapped potential.

on the athletics website it said that the rebranding would also change the basketball uni's. interested to see what they do there

Football uniforms look fantastic.

duncan needs to update the OP.

Damn. Those are sweet.

Getting a bit of a zebra vibe from the whites.

Not a huge fan of the whites, but i really like the others.

How can anyone hate this?

http://img560.imageshack.us/img560/6...otcaaafatz.png

There are different pics on Facebook as well. The new unis are sweet

https://www.facebook.com/mutigersdotcom

Love the flat black on the helmet.

those are badass

I like that matte helmet with the big tiger head, but it needs to not have yellow whiskers and teeth.

I was a little nervous about what they'd come up with. But man, I love 'em.

Yep. I think the white away jersies may be my early favorites.

Because the tiger on the helmet looks like Simbas mom?

Yeah...I'm a big fan of that. That's one of the things I liked most about the pro combat unis from a couple years ago.
Posted via Mobile Device

Chase!

I've been slacking on updating the commit list. Everything is current, now.

Very excited about Hosick. Urban Meyer was starting to sniff around. Kid is a winner and a great athlete who will give Missouri a dual-threat option after Franklin is done.

Also glad they locked up Nick Ramirez. Not surprised, but it's a big commit regardless.

Agreed. I like the football ones more than basketball but overall they are strong there is nothing I really hate.

WR J'Mon Moore commits to Mizzou! Moore had eleven offers, including Miami, Texas A&M, Michigan State and West Virginia.

Per PowerMizzou

Impressive offer list. Where's he from?

Missouri City, TX.

This is MISSOURI City

The commitment is still pending the approval of the Big XII, given that Mizzou is no longer allowed to sign kids from Texas.

Nice Mizzou article from Sports Illustrated, main article on their CFB page. I guess they like our new uniforms.

http://cnnsi.com/2012/writers/andy_s...?sct=cf_t11_a0

Gary Pinkel, Missouri working to earn respect in new league

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- When co-offensive line coach Josh Henson came to Missouri from LSU in 2009, he figured he would be the one asking all the questions on a staff renowned throughout college football for its continuity. But since the Tigers announced their move from the Big 12 to the SEC, Henson, who served as LSU's recruiting coordinator and tight ends coach, has become the staff sage on matters SEC. Still, he isn't sure how much help he can offer.

"I had probably already told them all the stories," Henson said with a laugh after a practice last month.

No matter. Head coach Gary Pinkel and his staff will take all the advice they can get as they enter the league that has produced the past six national champions. Assistants will get new recruiting areas, and players and coaches will have to quickly brush up on a new set of foes.

When spring practice ends, Pinkel will have assistants thoroughly break down each opponent on a schedule that has only two holdovers (Arizona State and fellow SEC newcomer Texas A&M) from last season. Coaches study opponents every offseason, but since almost everyone on the schedule is new, Pinkel wants a more detailed dossier on each team. He knew what Kansas and Kansas State would do year-to-year, but Georgia and South Carolina are relative mysteries.

At the moment, Pinkel sees no need for radical schematic changes despite the shift from a pass-happy, defense-light league to a conference that prizes stout defense above all else. "You've got to do what you do," Pinkel said.

That's not a bad idea. Thanks to a confluence of divisional gerrymandering, schedule-making and quality recruiting/coaching on the part of Pinkel and his staff, Missouri should enter the SEC in a far better position than fellow Big 12 refugee Texas A&M. Longitude be damned, Missouri wound up in the SEC East because that proved the tidiest solution to adding two schools on the league's western edge. While the Aggies look up at Alabama, LSU, Arkansas and probably Auburn, Missouri can look almost across at Georgia and South Carolina.

The Tigers got stuck with an Oct. 13 visit from Alabama, but otherwise the schedule plays out favorably. Georgia, the best East team on paper, will make the first of its two trips to a town named Columbia on Sept. 8. Faurot Field will almost certainly be rocking for the first moments of Missouri's new life in the SEC, and it appears the Bulldogs will have both starting cornerbacks and a starting safety suspended for the game.

If Missouri quarterback James Franklin is healthy -- he suffered a torn labrum at practice on March 13 and had surgery, but Pinkel expects him back for the season -- the Tigers might have the firepower to upset the Bulldogs. Remember, Missouri has averaged 9.6 wins per season since 2007, and the Tigers have recruited accordingly. In February, they nabbed receiver Dorial Green-Beckham, the nation's top-ranked prospect. With Franklin (2,865 passing yards, 21 passing TDs, 981 rushing yards, 15 rushing TDs in 2011) throwing to T.J. Moe (54 catches, 649 yards in 2011) and Green-Beckham (think a faster, more athletic Alshon Jeffery, SEC fans), Missouri's spread offense could be one of the more productive in the league as long as coordinator David Yost can find someone to replace the production of tailback Henry Josey, who probably will need another year to recover from a catastrophic knee injury.

Meanwhile, the Tigers have several defensive players who might look at home on elite SEC rosters. Brad Madison and Kony Ealy appear next in the line of uppercrust defensive ends that includes Ziggy Hood, Aldon Smith and Jacquies Smith. Defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson, a former five-star recruit who spent two years at a California junior college, had eight tackles for loss as a junior and appears ready to break out in his second season. At linebacker, Zaviar Gooden weighs 230 pounds and runs like a cornerback. "He's quick. He can make a mistake and make up for it," fellow linebacker Will Ebner said of Gooden. "That's something most people don't have. That's something I don't have."

What the Tigers don't have is a roster packed with such athletes at every position and even in some backup roles. Georgia and South Carolina do, especially on the defensive line. That, Henson said, is the critical difference between the Big 12 and the SEC. "You'll see as good top-end players in the Big 12," Henson said. "The biggest difference [in the SEC] is probably the week-to-week depth."

Unlike many of his fellow head coaches, who were dragged along through conference realignment with no say in the move, Pinkel had a chance to voice his opinion before the Tigers elected to leave the Big 12. Though Pinkel said the ultimate decision was made by the chancellor, president and Board of Curators, Pinkel endorsed the move to his bosses. But not because he thought it was necessarily the best move for Gary Pinkel or for Missouri's short-term prospects. "It was what I thought was best for the University of Missouri," Pinkel said. "It wasn't what I thought was best. The best thing for me was we stay in the Big 12. But obviously, there is a reason why four teams left. There were severe problems."

Pinkel's endorsement carried only one condition. "As long as you invest," he said. "That's the No. 1 thing. If you're not going to invest, if we're just going to go in there and do the best we can, I don't want to be a part of it." He'll get his wish. In the next few months, the school will announce future facilities improvements.

Next month, Henson and running backs coach Brian Jones will head to Florida in an attempt to introduce a new crop of recruits to Missouri football. Safeties coach Alex Grinch will do the same in the Atlanta area, where prospects who drive along I-85 in Gwinnett County already pass a Missouri "Proud to be SEC" billboard. The Tigers will keep recruiting in Texas, the state that gave them Franklin, Gooden and former stars such as quarterback Chase Daniel and linebacker Sean Weatherspoon. Pinkel doubts the exit from the Big 12 will shut the door on Texas, not after several Texans have used Missouri as a path to the NFL.

As for the new recruiting grounds and new opponents, Pinkel is realistic. He knows that while the SEC will give the Tigers more money than they're accustomed to, no one in the league is going to hand Missouri anything else. "You've got to prove yourself," Pinkel said. "This whole thing is you've got to earn respect. This is not real complex. There are no predictions here. Nothing. The bottom line is you're one of the new teams, and you've got to earn respect."

The 'SEC Homer' is a little strong here, but I actually did get a kick out of a picture I saw on facebook this morning:

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...62275567_n.jpg

In reference to this:

http://espn.go.com/college-football/...attered-mishap

Hosick has been working Clay Rhodes pretty hard on twitter (Tweeting him a lot, but not really pressuring). Looks like Trent is going to be an excellent recruiter.

I've long thought, watching his tape, that he was like a mini-Tebow or Tebow-light at QB... big, strong, not afraid to take a hit, excellent runner. His mechanics look better than Tebow's, though.

It appears he's a mini-Tebow (minus the Jesus factor) in more than just his physical skills, though. His leadership abilities are apparently off the charts.

Meant to throw this up earlier... not sure anyone else went to the spring game, but here are my post-spring impressions:

1) Good god, James Franklin better be healthy. Was not impressed with Corbin Berkstresser (Glaser remains what he has always been - an extra arm for practice). With Berk, you can see the arm strength and overall athleticism the coaches liked, but he still looked slow on reads and was delivering the ball late in a lot of cases. His accuracy needs some work, too, to create YAC.

I think Mauk will have an excellent chance to beat out Berk for the No. 2 job in fall camp. He has much more experience playing QB in the spread - and the coaching he has received from earliest ages has been top-notch.

2) More PT for Jimmie Hunt. Fast, strong, elusive.

3) Matt Hoch and Lucas Vincent are going to be +s at DT. With Sheldon Richardson healthy, I think the first three guys are going to be pretty strong performers. Hoch moved past a solid contributor in Jimmy Burge to get his spot, and Coach Kul is high on him.

4) Morse looked good at center, and it looks like snaps will be better this season. Could be huge in improving offensive rhythm.

5) Liked what I saw from the backup LBs. Looked much more instinctive and were playing much faster. Bonner and Ruise are great athletes. Bodes well for depth this season and for the position overall after this year.

Some rumors that Sheldon Richardson may be awarded an extra year...

No way. Right?

That would be huge news.

What would be the basis for the extra year? Was he injured for one of his juco seasons?

I really don't know. I think he may have been academically ineligible for one of his JUCO seasons.

He really only played one year there - that has to have something to do with it. Still seems pretty bizarre though; I can't come up with a good reason for Richardson to get an extra season and it's awfully early in the game for the NCAA to be awarding it.

Yes, I believe Sheldon was injured his second year of Juco.

Sheldon injured his wrist just a few games into the season (1 1/2, as I recall) and didn't play the rest of his JUCO season. It's a medical redshirt issue, though it's weird they're awarding it now. Those usually have to be done after the normal eligibility is exhausted.

I've met the women who heads the athletic tutoring program at Mizzou... according to her, they will never use College of the Sequoias again. here is a list of promises they broke re: Sheldon

1) He would be done in time to show up for spring football in 2011.
2) He would play one year, then redshirt to preserve eligibility
3) They would keep other schools away from him

That's pretty interesting; never really thought of a D-1 school 'using' a JUCO program but it makes sense that the DI squad would want their recruit to attend a school they are familiar and/or comfortable with.

I'm sure there's a lot of under the table stuff that goes on with that. If a program like USC comes in and says, "Hey, if we can get some alone time with that Sheldon Richardson guy, we may just send a few of our ineligible recruits your way in the future", there's gonna be some dealing.

It's called "Sign and Place." It's fairly standard procedure. They did it with Markus Golden, too.

Nothing is binding or anything, but the schools help the kids find the JUCO that works best for them. In return, the JUCO takes the school's wishes into consideration.

There's a level of trust that usually exists. CoS was viewed as highly reliable before Sheldon. Not so much after...

http://espn.go.com/blog/sec/post/_/i...s-than-numbers

There's more to Mizzou WRs than numbers

By Edward Aschoff | ESPN.com

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- On paper, Missouri's group of wide receivers bleeds inexperience.

Outside of veteran T.J. Moe, who will be a senior this fall, Missouri's returning receiving targets have combined for 51 catches for 712 yards and five touchdowns in their careers.

But when you talk to players and coaches at Missouri, those numbers tell a much different story. They say that while the returners aren’t burning up the stat sheet, it hasn't been because of a lack of talent.

"It's only unproven because guys haven't got the chance to do anything yet," Moe said. "We have a lot of good receivers out here and we have a lot of guys out here who have made plays."

Last year, Moe led the Tigers with 54 receptions and 649 yards. Behind him, Missouri had former All-American tight end Michael Egnew (50 receptions) and seniors Wes Kemp (29 receptions) and Jerrel Jackson (17 receptions), who combined for 36 starts.

"It's hard to beat those guys out because they do all the right things," offensive coordinator David Yost said.

While most of the talk concerning Missouri's receivers has revolved around inexperience and numbers, Yost and Co. are excited about what this group can do.

Missouri will be counting on speedy WR Marcus Lucas to make a significant impact in 2012.
Coaches and players think they have bona fide deep threats in rising juniors Marcus Lucas and L'Damian Washington. Lucas was fourth on the team in receiving last year (23 catches for 414 yards) and tied for first with five touchdowns. Washington was fifth with 20 catches for 364 yards and three scores.

Yost said both received more time as the season went on because of how explosive they were (Lucas has been clocked running a 4.3 in the 40-yard dash). Both ended the year averaging 18 yards per catch.

Washington was banged up this spring, but Lucas said he took full advantage of his time on the field. With more reps, Lucas said he shook the laziness that hurt him last year. His jogging and trudging around the field turned into sprints, his head stopped swimming and he finally learned how to finish plays after getting more comfortable in Missouri's offense.

"It comes with confidence, really," said Lucas, who caught four passes for 81 yards in Missouri's spring game. "When you don't really know exactly [what's going on] and you're guessing on what your exact assignment is it slows you down. Whenever you're out there just playing, you can play at your top-end speed."

Players like Bud Sasser, who worked at the Y position/tight end position, Gahn McGaffie and Jimmie Hunt, who caught an 88-yard touchdown in the spring game, all impressed this spring. So did tight end Eric Waters, who will now take over for Egnew, before he went down with an MCL injury that required surgery. Coach Gary Pinkel said Waters, who has two career catches, will be a key cog in the offense and should be back up to speed in three months.

Upperclassmen Rolandis Woodland, Jaleel Clark and Kerwin Stricker should also contribute more this fall and much ballyhooed recruit Dorial Green-Beckham, known around the program as "the big guy," will be on campus this summer.

"We're in pretty good shape," Pinkel said.

Before spring practice, 7-on-7 sessions helped build receiver chemistry, but what really brought this group together was not having quarterback James Franklin healthy this spring. After being sidelined with a shoulder injury, the receivers were forced to work with backups Corbin Berkstresser, Alex Demczak and Ashton Glaser.

Lucas said it was tough building chemistry with the other quarterbacks at first, but it forced the receivers to be more vocal in film sessions and in the huddle with the QBs

It also helped the receivers learn to take on more responsibility in the offense. They felt as though they were the voices this spring, and Lucas said that will be more beneficial for this group than in past seasons.

"We just want to be dominant," he said.

"We're kind of like the motor for [the offense]. We run the pace out there. If the wideouts are having a good day, it feels like the offense is having a good day."

http://www.columbiatribune.com/weblo...g-a-look-back/

Missouri's spring has sprung: A look back

Is it OK if I go back to writing about football and not brand identity, anthracite and thermoregulation?

Swell. So, where were we? Ahh, yes, spring football.

Other than an inopportune torn labrum and the much anticipated debut of Missouri's new wardrobe, the spring came and went without too many major headlines. With so many established players missing time while recovering from surgeries, it was a tough spring to really come away with any strong opinions on either side of the ball. Plus, the depth chart turnover was fairly static: From the first practice to the final scrimmage, there was only one player who was promoted to starter without the player ahead of him getting injured. That was Matt Hoch, who replaced Jimmy Burge at defensive tackle with the No. 1 defense. A couple new faces started in Saturday's Black & Gold Game, but they replaced starters who were injured during the spring, like quarterback James Franklin (torn labrum) and tight end Eric Waters (torn MCL).

Speaking of Franklin, this Friday will mark four weeks since he underwent surgery to repair the torn band of tissue that protects the joint in his throwing shoulder. The first preseason practice is roughly 16 weeks away. The training staff expects him to start throwing sometime in July. Speaking to reporters for the first time Saturday since hurting his shoulder March 13, Franklin said he feels great, is thankful he decided to have the surgery and expects to be back for the start of the season.

Until then, the Tigers go back out of the spotlight and go through a few months of "voluntary" summer passing sessions, which are generally twice-weekly 7-on-7 drills that are organized by the players. Football coaches are prohibited from attending those sessions, other than training and medical staffers and strength and conditioning coaches. But it would be naïve to think the football staff doesn't have input into those drills. They get regular feedback on the sessions, too. Franklin won't be able to participate in the early sessions, maybe all of them, which means Corbin Berkstresser will continue running the offense this summer.

"It's going to be big because he's going to lead the team," offensive coordinator David Yost said Saturday. "James will be around. But running 7 on 7 … our seniors will do a great job leading, they've done a great job to this point … but the 7 on 7, the stuff they do this summer, it runs through the quarterback. The better he performs, the more attention to detail, the more on task, the crisper he is in practice, the better it runs. I know that's a big deal to him.

"He's answered all the challenges we've given him. It hasn’t' happened instantaneously like you'd like it. The first day he went up with the 1s wasn't his best day. The next day was better. And the next day was better."

Berkstresser's performance Saturday probably wasn't his best of the spring. Linebacker Donovan Bonner made him pay for an ill-advised pass out to his left, intercepted it and returned it 66 yards for a TD. Berkstresser saved face on the next possession with a TD pass to T.J. Moe. In four spring scrimmages, Berkstresser completed 50 of 88 passes (56.8 percent) for 651 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. That calculates to an efficiency rating of 123.4.

His production is way off Franklin's averages for last season, when he completed 63.4 percent of his throws with a rating of 139.9, but Berkstresser's numbers are more in line, and in some cases better, than what Franklin and Tyler Gabbert produced last spring when they competed for the No. 1 job. Gabbert completed 60.4 percent for a 112.8 rating, while Franklin completed 60.0 percent for a 112.7 rating.

Yost blamed nerves for any struggles Berkstresser had Saturday.

"There were things he did today he can definitely do better," Yost said. "But I've seen Brad Smith struggle in the spring game. I've seen Chase Daniel" do the same. "Blaine Gabbert. James Franlin two years ago. Tyler Gabbert last year. It's the first time they've played meaningful time in front of a crowd. You can say it's only 10,000 or 20,000, but it's different. How they slept last night, their thought process. The nerves are the whole thing."

Even Daniel, whose demeanor was either ultra confident or downright cocky depending on what colors you wore to the game, dealt with nerves early in his career, Yost said.

"When Chase played his first game against Arkansas State" in 2005, "he had a bigger crowd in his last game in high school," Yost said. "But he still told me, 'Coach, I was really nervous out there.' "

"I try to diffuse that as much as I can. There were things" Berkstresser "did well. He stood in there and he's getting the ball downfield making throws. The biggest thing I saw today was he played within himself. As the day went on he played better and better."

Yost could say the same for a few more players on offense. Here are a few who caught my eye the last six weeks:

Mitch Morse, center: Smart. Big. Tough. Athletic. Does that sound like what you're looking for as the anchor for your O-line? The coaching staff loves Morse's attitude, especially the way he approached winter conditioning drills. He hasn't deferred to his older teammates along the offensive line because he knows the center has to be the brains of the operation. He's especially good at handling shotgun snaps, which he'll do countless times this fall.

Gahn McGaffie, slot receiver/tight end: Moe was the team's most productive receiver from start to end and was especially valuable giving Berkstresser confidence by getting open and catching everything. But we already knew he could do that. The Tigers need more weapons in the middle of the field, and McGaffie was one all spring, whether backing up Moe at the H or filling in for Waters at the Y. Already a senior, McGaffie's hungry to make an impression above and beyond his kickoff return against Oklahoma two years ago. "I wasn’t going to let them give up on me because I'm coming out to work everyday," he said. "I'm trying to prove to them that I need to be out on the field so I can showcase my abilities."

Marcus Murphy, tailback: Murphy sat out last season after undergoing shoulder surgery. The Tigers barely missed him as Henry Josey put on a show the first two and a half months of the season—up until the point his knee exploded against Texas. In the first week of practices, Murphy tried convincing me he could have a similar breakthrough this fall, which sounds crazy … until you watched him saw through the No. 1 defense Saturday, much like Josey did to most opponents last season. "A lot of people say, 'We won't be all this in the SEC. The Big 12 is not like the SEC,'" Murphy told me a few weeks back. "So, we just got a point to prove to a lot of people."

Missouri's defense was missing a couple key returning players, both projected starters on the line, tackle Sheldon Richardson and end Brad Madison. Young players emerged at both positions this spring, but questions will linger over the defensive line throughout fall camp and into the season.

Missouri's thin defensive line, especially up the middle, is going to wear down too easily against all those brutish running games in the SEC, right? Here's something I came across while crunching some numbers. Missouri's seven new opponents in the SEC (Alabama, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Kentucky) averaged 38.1 rushing attempts a game last year. South Carolina and Georgia ran it more than 40 times a game. Last year's nine Big 12 opponents averaged 40.1 rushing attempts per game, with five averaging more than 40 attempts per game, with three running more than 45 times a game: Texas, Kansas State and Kansas. On average, teams ran more plays in the Big 12, where the no-huddle is more prevalent, as seven Big 12 teams ran more than 950 plays from scrimmage, compared to just one in the SEC, Georgia at 1,016. (Georgia and LSU played 14 games, while the most anyone played in the Big 12 was 13. Still, Big 12 teams averaged 76.2 plays per game last year; the SEC teams averaged 65.5 plays.)

What am I getting at? Maybe lacking excessive depth across the D-line won't hurt Missouri as much some think. The Missouri defense figures to be on the field for fewer plays in the SEC and defenders have more time between snaps to catch their breath. Maybe some of those differences in style will mitigate any depth issues the Tigers have along the front four.

Then again, Missouri gets back one big piece of that front four come August. Richardson posted this on Twitter and Facebook shortly after the Black and & Gold Game: " … had fun watchin the boys get after each other but know DADDY'S back for summer and fall camp"

While the Tigers wait on DADDY to return, here are a few who jumped into the spotlight this spring:

Shane Ray, defensive end: The redshirt freshman breezed past offensive tackles in some of the scrimmages, looking every bit like a capable third-down edge rusher on passing situations. Ray cracked the 240s and expects to be in the 250s by fall camp. Too skinny for the SEC? Tell that to LSU All-American defensive end Sam Montgomery, who was listed at 245 last season. Or his counterpart on the Tigers' D-line, 240-pound Barkevious Mingo.

Matt Hoch, defensive tackle: Missouri defensive line coach Craig Kuligowski does not gush. I'm willing to guarantee he's never been described in print as giving a player "effusive praise." He can sniff out a glowing profile story a mile away, and is always quick to diffuse the hosannas. But when I asked him about Hoch a few weeks ago, Kul noticeably perked up. He'd found a D-tackle right under his nose at D-end.

"He’s playing his best football now since he’s been here," Kuligowski said of Hoch, who played tight end in 2010 and defensive end last year. "You play defensive end you occasionally get a double team. You play defensive tackle you get a double team every other play. He’s got to learn how to be an inside player, how to play low, how to play with strength. He’s pretty relentless to the ball, which is great and one of the reasons why he was able to move to that position."

After passing Burge on the depth chart, Hoch played with the starters the rest of the spring. He'll likely move to second team once Richardson returns but should find himself in a steady rotation.

Kenronte Walker, safety: Missouri has a mix of candidates at safety but only one senior, Walker. He's become more than a de-facto leader of the group. For new safeties coach Alex Grinch, Walker's presence was valuable this spring. "He’s a guy who’s embraced a leadership role," Grinch said. "He’s not a heavy talker by any stretch of the imagination, but he’s a guy who has the want-to to be a good player. The guys recognize that. I’ve recognized that up to this point. And he’s had a really good spring."

Unless SR has a disappointing year, I can't see him coming back for 2013.

Clay Rhodes, the top HS football player in the state of Kansas, named a top 3 of Mizzou, Okie Lite, and Arizona State.

Love it.

Unpossible. I learned from Kevin Keitzman that no Kansas kid would have the audacity to potentially choose Mizzou as his destination school. Big XII Leftover pride, and all.

KK is a complete idiot. He tends to get confused between what he wants to happen and reality.

Regarding Rhodes, if he was to pick Mizzou, MU would be building an insanely-talent O-line for the future.

He's picking Mizzou.

Excellent Mizzou publicity from the KC Star.

Kansas City is clearly a Mizzou town.

http://www.kansascity.com/2012/04/29...ng-ground.html

Anyone that REALLY thought MU moving to the SEC was going to hurt KC area recruiting was just being butthurt.

To be fair, some of them are just reeruned.

I wonder how much $$ ku wasted on those billboards in KC?

Rhodes is a tremendous athlete with great size. He reminds me a lot of Reilly Reiff, the Iowa tackle, in terms of where he was as a high school player. (Huge, athletic, tons of room for improvement).

He's going to be a nice addition to this class.

As for recruiting in KC... Missouri has become the big dog of the local schools in terms of football recruiting. It's going to take something extra (family connections, lifelong allegiance, positional fit, etc) for Mizzou to lose out to KU or KSU on a KC kid the Tigers really want.

The only really high-profile kid they've "lost" to KU/KSU in recent years was Keeston Terry, and that was because Missouri didn't have room for him. He was begging to be allowed to commit, but Marcus Lucas took the last spot for a WR in that class.

Something like 90 percent of kids with offers from both Kansas and Missouri have chosen Mizzou over the past decade. That's only going to continue. Being able to sell the exclusivity of the SEC to Missouri kids is a pretty awesome weapon.

1) It instantly makes Mizzou more "big-time" in the eyes of many kids. See Nick Ramirez's comments in the Terez Paylor article. That is a huge, huge factor. Guys like Ronnie Wingo, Aron White, the DT from Rockbridge a few years back, Ondre Pipkins have gone elsewhere because it was more "big-time."

2) It takes away the main weapon a school like Arkansas can use against Mizzou: "Come play in the SEC, with the big boys" and gives Mizzou the same weapon when recruiting kids from Iowa, Kansas and Illinois. "Come play close to home, in the SEC, with the big boys!" It's working with Rhodes. They're trying it out on Iowa kids.

I'd really like to see them make a bigger push for a lot of Illinois kids. There's quite a bit of talent in that state, and I think they can get a few kids a year from this pitch. They have much better chances to snag high profile kids from those states than they do of landing a 4-star from Tampa, IMO.

If Franklin is healthy for the 2012 season and Missouri reaches its potential, it really can be a catapaulting step for the Tigers.

They should put up some more. LMAO

That article was badass.

:clap:

The comments sections are pretty hilarious. "The recruiting drop-off, it's coming! No one ever said it would be immediate!"

Um, yeah. Lots of people did.

I liked the guy who kept calling the SEC "SECond rate". I guess 3 basketball titles and 6 football titles in the last 6 years isn't enough to be considered big time.

It really is amazing how pissed off some people still are.

The Wickedson is strong in those comments...

It really is pretty funny seeing those fellas contort themselves to piss on this move.

It's interesting to see people talk about stability, but it makes sense. When you're talking about 2013 recruits, they may be at the school until 2017. Coaches can pretend the Big XII is stable, but no sane person is convinced that it won't lose more teams between now and 2017.

Look at the class of graduating seniors today. When they were Freshmen, things seemed stable. Now, Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska, and Mizzou are in 4 different conferences.

Meanwhile, there. Are only 10 teams left in the conference which now covers 5 states instead of 7. 6 of the teams are afterthoughts in their own state. Hell, outside the state of Texas, there isn't a top 40 metro area within the conference's footprint.

Kids and their families have gotten more savvy, and coaches are going to use this as a weapon to beat the lesser members (everyone but Texas and Oklahoma) of the Big XII down on the recruiting trail.

The move to the SEC allowed us to land Ramirez. That certainly doesn't end the argument, but it's a pretty solid shot.

It certainly helped us put up that fence around our state. (Sounds like we may have gotten an easement in to Eastern Kansas as well.) I hope they don't mind that our new fence went a little over the state line.

Here's hoping it helps expand the fences to include Iowa and Illinois.

They're never going to get many kids who grew up as died-in-the-wool Hawkeye/Cyclone fans, but they can compete for the others.

Chicago kids don't have that much allegiance to Illinois/Northwestern, either. Definite opportunity.