The first-ever recruiting class for new Mizzou Football Head Coach Barry Odom was unveiled today as part of National Signing Day, and the new Tiger skipper and his staff came up with an outstanding haul of talented student-athletes from all over the country who look to help the program reach its championship goals. Twenty standouts representing nine different states signed their names to National Letters of Intent to attend and play football at Mizzou.
As always, the emphasis on in-state talent led to a crop of highly-rated athletes who will lend their talents to their home state school. Five standouts, including CB Jared Alton (Kirkwood), OL Trystan Castillo (Webb City), Cale Garrett (Kearney, Mo.), TE Brendan Scales (Wildwood) and DL Tre Williams (Columbia) all pledged to be Tigers today. When the metro areas of both Kansas City and St. Louis are factored in, the "local" number doubles to 10, including K Tucker McCann (O'Fallon, Ill.), OL Tre'vour Simms (East St. Louis, Ill.), Nate Strong (East St. Louis, Ill.), S Greg Taylor (East St. Louis, Ill.) and OL Tyler Howell (Bonner Springs, Kan.).
"I'm excited about what we have in place," said Odom. "We've addressed some immediate needs we have hitting going into the fall, and there's others who we believe in the long run will be significant contributors to the program. I'm really pleased with our coaching staff and what they were able to accomplish in a very short amount of time after coming together. To see their energy on the road and in the homes, in the schools, and their relentlessness as they attacked recruiting, it was a great effort," he said.
Four from the group are already enrolled in classes at Mizzou this semester, and are gearing up to take part in spring drills, beginning in March. Joining Mizzou for the spring semester are LB Trey Baldwin (Houston, Texas), WR Chris Black (native of Jacksonville, Fla., transferring from Alabama), OL Tyler Howell (Bonner Springs, Kan.) and K Tucker McCann (O'Fallon, Ill.). They will be on hand for spring drills as the Tigers prepare for the annual Black & Gold Game set for April 16th (5 p.m. central time) at Faurot Field/Memorial Stadium.
A full roster of signees follows, as well as extensive biographical sketches of the 20 newest Mizzou Tigers.
| TIME | FULL NAME | POS. | HT. | WT. | YEAR | HOMETOWN | PREVIOUS SCHOOL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10:27 AM | Dominic Collins | WR | 175 | Jr. | Fullerton, Calif. | Saddleback C.C. | |
| 11:24 AM | Nate Strong | RB | 211 | So. | East St. Louis, Ill. | Hinds C.C. | |
| 11:51 AM | Dimetrios Mason | ATH | 170 | Fr. | Loganville, Ga. | Grayson HS | |
| 7:12 AM | Trystan Castillo | OL | 295 | Fr. | Webb City, Mo. | Webb City HS | |
| 7:14 AM | Markell Utsey | DL | 285 | Fr. | Little Rock, Ark. | Parkview HS | |
| 7:31 AM | Micah Wilson | QB | 205 | Fr. | Tulsa, Okla. | Lincoln Christian | |
| 7:43 AM | Greg Taylor | S | 200 | R-So. | East St. Louis, Ill. | Hinds C.C. | |
| 7:52 AM | Christian Holmes | CB | 182 | Fr. | Atlanta, Ga. | McNair HS | |
| 8:08 AM | Damarea Crockett | RB | 212 | Fr. | Little Rock, Ark. | Little Rock Christian HS | |
| 8:08 AM | Cale Garrett | LB | 225 | Fr. | Kearney, Mo. | Kearney HS | |
| 8:08 AM | Albert Okwuegbunam | TE | 225 | Fr. | Springfield, Ill. | Sacred Heart Griffin HS | |
| 8:18 AM | Jerod Alton | CB | 180 | Fr. | Kirkwood, Mo. | Kirkwood HS | |
| 9:09 AM | DeMarkus Acy | S | 183 | Fr. | Dallas, Texas | Wilmer-Hutchins HS | |
| 9:15 AM | Tre Williams | DL | 235 | Fr. | Columbia, Mo. | Rock Bridge HS | |
| 9:29 AM | Tre'vour Simms | OL | 300 | Fr. | East St. Louis, Ill. | East St. Louis HS | |
| 9:38 AM | Brendan Scales | TE | 235 | Fr. | Wildwood, Mo. | Lafayette HS | |
| On Campus | Trey Baldwin | LB | 240 | Fr. | Houston, Texas | Cypress Falls HS | |
| On Campus | Chris Black | WR | 192 | Sr. | Jacksonville, Fla. | Alabama | |
| On Campus | Tyler Howell | OL | 305 | R-Jr. | Bonner Springs, Kan. | Butler C.C. | |
| On Campus | Tucker McCann | K | 185 | Fr. | O'Fallon, Ill. | O'Fallon HS |
BREAKDOWN BY STATE
- Missouri (5) – Alton (Kirkwood), Castillo (Webb City), Garrett (Kearney), Scales (Wildwood), Williams (Columbia)
- Illinois (5) – McCann (O'Fallon), Okwuegbunam (Springfield), Simms (East St. Louis), Strong (East St. Louis), Taylor (East St. Louis)
- Arkansas (2) – Crockett (Little Rock), Utsey (Little Rock)
- Georgia (2) – Holmes (Atlanta), Mason (Loganville)
- Texas (2) – Acy (Dallas), Baldwin (Houston)
- California (1) – Collins (Fullerton)
- Florida (1) – Black (Jacksonville)
- Kansas (1) – Howell (Bonner Springs)
- Oklahoma (1) – Wilson (Tulsa)
