MSU football signs 13 athletes during early recruiting period

SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State head football coach Ryan Beard has had a busy week. Officially introduced as the Bears new head coach on Monday, Beard and his staff spent Wednesday wrapping up commitments from 13 recruits for the upcoming season.

Beard’s first signing class includes eight freshmen and eight players from the state of Missouri, including five from the Springfield area. Six in this year’s early signing class are classified as offensive players, and seven will play defense for the Bears this fall.

“We are excited about this 2023 early signing class,” said Beard. “It’s a well-rounded group consisting of multiple positions of need for our football team. These are young men of solid character and a ton of athletic ability. This is a special time for MSU football and we want to thank all of the players and their families for trusting us with their academic and athletic future.

“The fact that these young men held firm to their commitments to Missouri State University and our vision during this time of transition is remarkable. It is a true testament to this staff’s ability to build authentic relationships.”

The December 2022 signees are:

Ryan Boyd (WR, 6-1, 187, East St. Louis, Ill., Cardinal Ritter Prep)
A standout receiver for coach Brennan Span at Cardinal Ritter High in St. Louis … Was part of a 14-0 state championship run by Cardinal Ritter in 2022 … Earned Missouri third-team all-state and first-team all-district honors his senior season (2022) at Ritter after snagging 55 receptions for 1,084 yards and 14 touchdowns for the Lions … As a junior, Boyd had 26 catches for 34 yards and a pair of touchdowns for an 11-3 East St. Louis High team that finished as Illinois state runners-up … In a limited sophomore season, he had 5 receptions for 76 yards and a TD to go with 13 stops on defense … Was part of a 14-0 Illinois state championship team his freshman season at East St. Louis, pulling in 27 passes for 527 yards and 9 touchdowns, in addition to 51 tackles and 5 interceptions on the defensive side … His father, Rob Boyd, played at Illinois State and later played professionally.

Angelo Butts (WR, 6-0, 173, So., St. Louis, Mo., O’Fallon Christian, Miami (Ohio)
Butts spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons at Miami (Ohio) where the speedy receiver played in 2 games in 2022 after redshirting in 2021 with a game under his belt … Attended O’Fallon (Mo.) Christian High where he was a standout for coach Dakota Conway.

Craig Burt Jr. (WR, 6-4, 215, Sr., Columbus, Ohio, Centennial High, Western Kentucky)
Burt played three seasons at Western Kentucky before selecting Missouri State for his senior season … Had 4 receptions for 70 yards (17.5 ypc) in 2022 in four appearances for coach Tyson Helton … In 2021, he appeared in all 14 games for C-USA East champions with 13 receptions for 220 yards and a TD, in addition to a kickoff return TD … In 2020, he made 8 starts in 11 games, snagging 23 receptions for 166 yards and a pair of scores … Played at Hutchinson (Kan.) College in 2019 where he hauled in 7 catches for 141 yards and 2 touchdowns while helping the Blue Dragons finish with a 10-2 record and No. 3 national ranking … Was rated as a three-star Juco prospect and No. 19 among Juco wide receivers … Made his collegiate debut at Urbana University in 2018 … Prepped at Centennial High in Columbus, Ohio, for coach Donte Goosby.

Justin Curtis (OL, 6-5, 305, So., Santa Clara Calif., IMG Academy (Fla.), Wagner College)
Curtis was a two-year performer at FCS Wagner College in Staten Island, N.Y., where he was a starter for coach Tom Masella and helped the Seahawks average 242.3 yards per game in 2022 … Redshirted in 2021 at Wagner … Was a three-star recruit out of IMG Academy in Florida that was 7-4 his senior year (2020) under coach Kyle Brey.

Cole Feuerbacher (QB, 6-3, 190, Fr., Springfield, Mo., Glendale High)
A local product from Glendale High, Feuerbacher led the Ozarks in passing in 2022 with 2,952 yards and 30 touchdowns on 273 completions … Earned Class 5 third-team all-state honors as a senior in addition to first-team all-conference and all-region distinction … As a junior, he also had an area-best 3,088 yards and 35 touchdowns on 233 completions … Also plays basketball at Glendale.

Kaleno Levine (DB, 5-11, 175, Jr., Fort Worth, Texas, V.R. Eaton High, Tyler JC)
Levine spent the 2022 season at Tyler (Texas) Junior College for coach Tanner Jacobson where he was part of a 5-4 squad … Broke up 4 passes in 4 appearances in 2022 with 5 solo tackles and a forced fumble for the Appache … Played in 3 games at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar during the 2020-21 season with 10 total tackles, 9 solos, and a pass break-up … Attended V.R. Eaton High in Fort Worth, Texas where he also played basketball … Posted 35 tackles, including 14 solos his senior year (2019) with coach Ellis Miller’s Eagles.

Andrew Link (DL, 6-4, 240, Fr., Springfield, Mo., Kickapoo High)
Another local standout, Link posted 9 sacks as a senior for Kickapoo High in Springfield and coach Nate Thomas … Led Chiefs to a 7-3 ledger in 2022 … Named to News-Leader’s Preseason Dominant Dozen players in the 417 … His brother, Adam, played baseball at Missouri State.

Heston Miller (WR, 6-1, 200, Fr. West Plains (Mo.) High)
A four-year starter for coaches Joel Wyatt and Greg Dixon at West Plains (Mo.) High where he racked up over 3,100 career all-purpose yards for the Zizzers … Helped WPHS to state semifinals and 9-4 record as a senior after collecting 47 receptions for 776 yards and 5 touchdowns to go with 657 rushing yards on 100 carries for 11 scores … Also had a 96-yard kickoff return for a TD in 2022 … Broke school career records for receptions (120) and receiving yards (2,037) … Was a Class 4 all-state second-team selection as a senior, while earning all-district, all-conference and all-region honors … Racked up 42 receptions for 751 yards and 10 TDs as a junior while earning third-team all-state honors and all-region, all-district and All-Ozark Conference laurels … As a sophomore, he averaged 10.2 yards per carry while snagging 25 receptions for 430 yards and 5 TDs and earning all-conference, all-district and all-region honors … Is also a standout sprinter at West Plains, earning all-state honors and conference titles in the 100m, 200m, 4×100 relay and 4×200 relay as a junior while finishing second in the Class 4 state meet in the 100-meter dash (10.58) in 2021.

Cooper Roy (LB, 6-3, 220, RFr., Springfield, Mo., Glendale High)
Local product from Glendale High where he was one of the best pass rushers in state history … Eclipsed the state career sacks record (59) … As a senior, he racked up 72 total tackles with 47 solos, and 25 sacks while earning Ozarks Conference Defensive Player of the Year and second-team all-state honors … Also was a first-team all-conference and all-district pick in 2021 while earning three-star ratings as a senior for a 7-6 Falcons team … Brought down 98 ball carriers as a junior with 79 solos, 31.0 tackles for loss and a state-record 26 sacks for 144 yards while earning first-team all-state, all-conference and all-district laurels … Had 6o total tackles as a sophomore with 8 sacks … Attended Air Force Academy Prep School in the fall of 2022 but did not play football … His father, Cameron, played football at Missouri State in the late 1990’s.

Michael Teason (LB, 6-2, 225, Fr., St. Louis, Mo., CBC High)
Teason led CBC High in St. Louis to the Class 6 state championship game his senior year (2022) … Led the Cadets in tackles with 91, including 5 sacks, and 14 total for a loss … Had 19 tackles, including three sacks in state semifinal win over Liberty North in 2022 … 2022 Defensive player of the year in the Metro Catholic Conference … Also started at middle linebacker his junior year after playing safety and outside linebacker earlier in his high school career.

Caden Wiest (DL, 6-4, 250, Fr. Reeds Spring (Mo.) High)
A three-star defensive lineman, according to 247sports, Wiest is from nearby Reeds Spring (Mo.) High where he was named Class 3 first-team all-state for the second straight year … Helped coach Andy McFarland’s Wolves to an 11-3 record and state runner-up finish in 2022 … As a junior, he was also first-team all-region at tight end and honorable mention at defensive end, racking up 35 receptions for 523 yards and 7 touchdowns to go with 58 total tackles with 7 sacks and 3 forced fumbles.

Dallas Winner-Johnson (LB, 6-5, 210, St. Louis, Mo., Cardinal Ritter Prep)
A third-team all-state linebacker in 2022, Winner-Johnson helped Cardinal Ritter win its first-ever state championship this past season … Brought down 56 ball carriers as a senior, including 41 solo stops … Helped coach Brennan Span’s squad to a 14-0 season in 2022 … Also played WR and punter for Ritter … Accumulated 14 total stops his junior season, including 8 solo tackles for the Lions.

Kanye Young (LB, 6-1, 255, So., Menifee, Calif., Heritage High, Reedley College)
A transfer from Reedley (Calif.) College, Young posted 58 total tackles in 2022 for coach Rob Hartenfels’ Tigers … He also accumulated 1.5 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries and an interception in 9 games played … He had 10 or more tackles twice in the last three games of the 2022 season for a 5-5 Reedley team … Prepped at Heritage High in Menifee, Calif., where he was part of a 5-6 Patriots team his senior year, racking up 58 stops, 48 solos, 7.5 sacks and a pair of interceptions in a standout 2021 campaign.