****Official 2018 Missouri Tigers Football Thread****

['Hamas' Jenkins]

The beginning of the 2018 season is a little under five weeks away. Missouri enters the year projected to finish 4th in the East, and may be a borderline Top 25 team according to some projection systems. After a disappointing recruiting cycle last year, pressure is on Odom to restock the cupboard after the senior years of Lock and Beckner, who will go down as two of the better Tigers in history and likely first round draft picks.

Schedule:

Spoiler!

9/1: vs. Tenn-Martin
9/8: vs. Wyoming
9/15: @Purdue
9/22: vs. Georgia
10/6: @SCar
10/13: @Alabama
10/20: vs. Memphis (homecoming)
10/27: vs. Kentucky
11/3: @Florida
11/10: Vandy
11/17: @Tennessee
11/23: vs. Arkansas

Recruiting:

Spoiler!

Commits:

Martez Manuel, DB: ***, 5.6 RR, Columbia, MO
Chris Shearin, DB:***, 5.5 RR, Bradenton, FL
Connor Bazelak, QB: ***, 5.6 RR, Dayton, OH
Anthony Watkins, ATH: **, 5.4 RR, Fort Worth, TX
Jack Buford, OL: ***, 5.7 RR, St. Louis, MO
Aidan Harrison, DB: ***, 5.5 RR, New Lothrop, MI
Thalen Robinson, OL, ***, 5.6 RR, Arlington, TX
Maurice Massey, WR, ***, 5.7 RR, St. Louis, MO
Ishmael Burdine DB, ***, 5.7 RR, Slidell, LA
Stacy Brown, DB, ***, 5.6 RR, Duncanville, TX
Jalani Williams, DB, ****, 5.8 RR, St. Louis, MO
CJ Boone, WR, ***, 5.6 RR, St. Louis, MO
Luke Griffin, OL, ***, 5.7 RR, Chatsworth, GA
Devin Nicholson, LB, ***, 5.6 RR, Detroit, MI
Niko Hea, TE, ***, 5.5 RR, St. Louis, MO
Isaiah McGuire, DE, ***, 5.5 RR, Tulsa, OK
Darius Robinson, DE, ***, 5.7 RR, Canton, MI
Chris Daniels, DT, ***, 5.5 RR, Wesson MS
Jamie Pettway, LB, ***, 5.7 RR, Albany, GA
Shemar Pearl, DE, ***, 5.6 RR, Plano, TX
Arvell Ferguson, DE, ***, 5.5 RR, Kirkwood, MO

Transfers:

Kelly Bryant, QB, Clemson Grad Transfer (former 4*)
Shawn Robinson QB, TCU Transfer (former 3*)
Jonathan Nance WR, Arkansas Grad Transfer (former 3*)

At this point, the class is ranked 68-69 nationally by Rivals and 24/7. Odom is going to have to rely on Pinkel's diamond-in-the-rough approach. It looks like they've pulled back considerably from Georgia, focusing more upon Texas, which is what they should have always done. Unfortunately, they've done horrific in-state, and I think that will likely end up being the nail in Odom's coffin after the 2019 season.

12/19 Update: A strong finish late in the cycle moved the class up significantly. Securing commitments from grad transfer Kelly Bryant and TCU transfer Shawn Robinson has solidified the QB position in the short and intermediate term. A class that was ranked in the 60's at the beginning of the season is now a top 20-30 class factoring in transfers.

Hamas' Crystal Ball: 8-4; 4-4 in the SEC (wins vs. Ark, Tenn, Vandy, Kentucky)

[DJ's left nut]

Man. Mizzou needs better lawyers. We just got drilled for some shit far less egregious than a ton of schools have skated on.

So I guess we're a wrestling school now?

[ChiTown]

Gawdamn, that's harsh

[Rams Fan]

Damn guys, that sucks.

It’s BS UNC got away with what they did.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by ChiTown

Gawdamn, that's harsh

I'm not sure Mizzou could've shown up to the hearing and confessed to ordering a code red and been worse off.

Seriously - this is simply a wholesale repudiation of any kind of defense Mizzou put forward. Had Mizzou come out and said "yeah, Odom, Jamieson and Earleywine were all telling tutors to do the coursework at the guidance of Jim Sterk" I'm not sure the penalties would've been any more severe.

1 tutor and 12 kids over 3 sports and they drop a ****ing hammer. I really don't get it. That's remarkably draconian for what amounts to relatively minor academic eligibility crap. When you look at the shady shit all these teams do to get kids eligible to sign to begin with and the NCAA looks the other way, it blows my mind that they put Mizzou on blast for this.

I'm not even mad as much as I'm just damn puzzled.

[siberian khatru]

Un. ****ing. Believable.

All this for one rogue tutor.

A former University of Missouri, Columbia, tutor violated NCAA ethical conduct, academic misconduct and academic extra benefits rules when she completed academic work for 12 student-athletes, according to a Division I Committee on Infractions panel.

Although the tutor said she felt pressure to ensure student-athletes passed courses, according to the committee’s report, the investigation did not support that her colleagues directed her to complete the student-athletes’ work.

In its decision, the committee stated, “Simply put, 12 student-athletes did not complete their own work.” It continued that the tutor engaged in the activity despite receiving extensive and comprehensive education on appropriate tutoring practices.

UNC had systemic FAKE COURSES, but because these FAKE COURSES were provided to non-athletes, no sanction.

[Titty Meat]

That's the difference between the 45th ranked law school and the 65th

[CoMoChief]

This has been going on for yrs. This was about 15yrs ago during Brad Smith era, but me and a football player friend of mine would use their practice facility computer lab a lot. There would be players in there taking exams and teachers used to sit down with them and would basically give them the answers and do the tests for them.

[Rams Fan]

Originally Posted by CoMoChief

This has been going on for yrs. This was about 15yrs ago during Brad Smith era, but me and a football player friend of mine would use their practice facility computer lab a lot. There would be players in there taking exams and teachers used to sit down with them and would basically give them the answers and do the tests for them.

The shit at UNC happened for years yet they didn’t get punished.

[CoMoChief]

But this goes on everywhere, just depends on who gets caught and how well they cover shit up on campus. I literally watched half of Quin's bball team cheat on their final exams. And I think people are niave to think this doesnt go on...some of these players can barely read, add, or speak proper English but then they graduate with a 3.6 or 3.7GPA?

Lol c'mon man...

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by CoMoChief

This has been going on for yrs. This was about 15yrs ago during Brad Smith era, but me and a football player friend of mine would use their practice facility computer lab a lot. There would be players in there taking exams and teachers used to sit down with them and would basically give them the answers and do the tests for them.

Jamaal Charles maintained eligibility at UT for 3 seasons and he is literally stupid enough to be declared mentally reeruned and be allowed to participate in the Special Olympics because of it. LITERALLY.

Man, they must have some ****ing fantastic tutors at UT.

Oh wait, no - that's not right. Because Jamaal still couldn't string consecutive thoughts together when he left.

Keeping athletes eligible by hook or by crook has been a time honored tradition for every Division 1 program for decades. It's the rolling a stop sign of the NCAA Guidelines. It's going 5 over in a 55. Nobody has ever given a ****.

But because UNC embarrassed the shit out of the NCAA with their "well yeah, but ALL of our students have an opportunity to get a meaningless degree" defense and Mizzou's attorneys were stupid enough to concede that she committed an honor code violation in their responses, the NCAA used them to make an example of.

Just remarkable really.

[CoMoChief]

Originally Posted by Rams Fan

The shit at UNC happened for years yet they didn’t get punished.

I know. Its ridiculous.

I've had friends that went to class at KU with Brandon Rush, told me the guy literally couldnt read and went to class maybe once a week if that. Not sure how the guy stays academically eligible if hes in college and cant read and doesnt go to class.

Oh wait...yeah I do!

[siberian khatru]

In its report, the Committee on Infractions directly addresses the difference between Mizzou and UNC's cases, which is, essentially, Mizzou admitted to there being fraud and UNC did not. pic.twitter.com/QZfxIslGC5

— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) January 31, 2019

[Jerm]

So we should've just lied our asses off and got a bunch of lawyers....great message NCAA you bunch of useless ****s.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by siberian khatru

In its report, the Committee on Infractions directly addresses the difference between Mizzou and UNC's cases, which is, essentially, Mizzou admitted to there being fraud and UNC did not. pic.twitter.com/QZfxIslGC5

— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) January 31, 2019

Again - this is so ludicrous that I can't even get mad. It is just outright hilarious.

Lie for over a decade, get caught and defend yourselves on the grounds that "We didn't violate our academic standards because we don't actually have any..." and you're golden.

****ing self report and say "yes, she violated our academic standards but against the training she was provided and without express direction from anyone associated with the University of Missouri" and you get a 3-sport post-season ban.

Even Kansas fans have to look at this one and shake their heads. I mean it truly is just unreal.

[Matrix]

I ****ing hate the NCAA as much as I do the NFL.