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Smithville’s Jones plays a role in Missouri’s recruiting
By MIKE DeARMONDThe Kansas City Star
Blaine Gabbert laughs at how Andrew Jones helped recruit Missouri’s football Class of 2008.
“Outspoken,” Gabbert said. “Really outspoken. He said everything correct.
“Not always politically correct. But it’s correct.”
For example?
“Every school that you’re looking at besides Missouri (stinks),” Gabbert said, laughing as he quoted some of Jones’ less-explicit evaluations. “I agree with him now.”
The interesting thing is Andrew Jones is not on the Missouri football staff. Jones is the No. 2-rated high school player in Missouri, a tight end from Smithville.
Still, Jones played a major role in talking as many as five of the state’s top eight recruits — plus the No. 1 player in Iowa — into joining him in the recruiting class that Missouri will confirm this afternoon. He can take pride in his work today, which is national signing day for high school seniors.
Directly or indirectly, Jones helped land:
•Gabbert, from Ballwin, Mo., who is the No. 1 pro-style quarterback in the nation and the No. 1 player in Missouri as rated by Rivals.com.
•Aldon Smith, Raytown defensive end, rated No. 5 in Missouri.
•Wes Kemp, St. Louis DeSmet wide receiver, rated No. 6.
•Robert Steeples, DeSmet defensive back, rated No. 8.
•Dan Hoch, offensive lineman from Harlan, Iowa, rated No. 1 in that state.
Gabbert and Hoch were originally committed to Nebraska. Jones and Gabbert ganged up on Hoch.
Wisconsin couldn’t have been happy when Jones talked up Mizzou to Steeples, who in turn helped convince DeSmet teammate Kemp to become a Tiger rather than a Badger.
“I guess it was probably like a chain reaction,” Jones said.
Jones maintains his longtime friend Smith likely would have chosen Missouri on his own.
But Smith contends: “I don’t know. Maybe. He definitely played a big part in it.”
Missouri is known to have 23 oral commitments heading into the first day of the national signing period. The Tigers might add another name, possibly two, but if this is the final list, it likely ranks as MU coach Gary Pinkel’s best recruiting class.
On Tuesday, Colorado slipped past Missouri in Rivals’ updated Big 12 recruiting team rankings. The Buffaloes are now fourth in the league and No. 23 nationally, MU is fifth and No. 24. Kansas State has moved up a spot to No. 29 nationally, and Kansas has fallen a spot to No. 36.
Those numbers could change. Today is merely the first day for official confirmation of recruiting classes.
One of the most interesting stories of Jones’ recruiting tactics involves Gabbert.
Each had been invited to play in the national Army All-Star Game, but they’d developed a relationship well before that event. Jones was mad at Gabbert for picking Nebraska over MU.
“I never really stopped talking to him,” Jones said. “But I’m like, ‘Nebraska! They played terrible against Wake Forest and barely beat them. They got killed by USC. Then they got killed by us.’ ”
Yes, Jones has always seen himself as a Tiger, a team he’s always seen as “we” rather than “them.”
“You might want to check out us,” Jones told Gabbert. “Then he started coming down every weekend.”
Gabbert was committed emotionally long before Nebraska knew he was going to switch. That feeling started when Bill Callahan was ousted as the Nebraska coach, and long before Bo Pelini was brought in to lead the Huskers in 2008.
“The only reason he went there was Coach Callahan,” Jones said. “So there wasn’t any reason to be there after (Callahan) was gone.”
Gabbert said: “Me and Andrew started talking about going to Mizzou in early February (2007). I kind of committed to Nebraska. And he started the recruitment of a lot of guys that are going to Mizzou.
“It turned out extremely well. We’re all happy with the players we got. The positions of need, we’ve pretty much filled all of those. It’s a great class.”
Thanks in part, apparently, to a tight end from Smithville, who was sold enough on Mizzou to hard-sell it to others.