Mizzou football outlook for National Signing Day

National Signing Day for college football is Wednesday, February 1. Here is a breakdown of the Missouri Tigers’ 2017 recruiting class that is expected to sign that day.

Missouri’s top five recruits

Name Pos. Rank* Ht. Wt. School

1. Da’Ron Davis WR 23 6-1 190 Lee’s Summit North

Davis was slowed by a sprained ankle for part of his senior season, his first and only with the Broncos after transferring from Hogan Prep. In eight games, he finished with 56 receptions for 703 yards and five touchdowns, adding a 94-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the season-opener against Park Hill.

2. Case Cook C 4 6-5 290 Carrollton (Ga.)

Perhaps the steal of the recruiting class for Missouri, Cook doesn’t play at a sexy position for generating buzz, but his offer should tell you everything you need to know. Cook picked the Tigers among offers to play at Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Louisville, Miami (Fla.), North Carolina State, Penn State, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest and West Virginia.

3. Hyrin White OT 39 6-7 292 DeSoto (Texas)

Somewhat forgotten after committing to MU last March, White has the size and athleticism to develop into a quality left tackle. He chose the Tigers over offers from Arizona State, Colorado, Oklahoma State, UCLA and several Group of Five programs.

4. Taylor Powell QB n/a 6-1 189 Fayetteville (Ark.)

Originally committed to Wake Forest, Powell switched to Mizzou for the chance to play in the SEC and be closer to home. As Arkansas’ Gatorade player of the year and Mr. Football, Powell led the Bulldogs to a second consecutive Class 7A state title, completing 237 of 348 passes — 68.1 percent — for 3,473 yards with 44 touchdowns and seven interceptions last season. Rushed for another six scores and finished with 113 career touchdown passes.

5. Terry Petry CB 42 5-10 160 Ridge Point (Missouri City, Texas)

Originally committed to Houston, Petry switched his commitment to Missouri after Tom Herman left for Texas. The Cougars’ loss was the Tigers’ gain as he’s one of the top cornerbacks in the recruiting class and helps fill a position of need after Aarion Penton’s departure. He finished last season with two interceptions and six pass breakups.

*Rivals.com national position rankings

One(s) who got away …

Wide receivers Jafar Armstrong of Bishop Miege and Elijah Gardiner of Kemp (Texas) High. Armstrong, who set a Kansas high school record with 45 career touchdown catches for the three-time reigning Kansas Class 4A Division I champion Stags, had been committed to Missouri since June before Sunday when he switched to Notre Dame. Gardiner committed to the Tigers in December, but changed his mind Monday after receiving an offer from Ohio State.

Still fishing for …

Two weeks ago, the Tigers were in good shape with wide receivers in the 2017 recruiting class. That’s no longer the case with the de-commitments by Armstrong and Gardiner. Davis, who is Mizzou’s only Rivals four-star prospect, was the only known remaining receiver commitment until Tuesday night’s commitment by O’shae Clark from Cypress (Texas) Springs High. Don’t be surprised if there’s another receiver among the signing-day surprises.

Position answered …

Clearly, Missouri believed it needed to upgrade in the trenches, securing commitments from five offensive linemen and five defensive linemen, including four junior-college transfers — offensive tackle Yasir Durant, defensive end Nate Anderson and defensive tackles Rashad Brandon and Walter Palmore — who will be expected to provide immediate depth. The Tigers also have five defensive back commits.

Position unanswered …

It’s easy to point to wide receiver here again, but that dead horse has been beaten. So, we’ll say linebacker. The Tigers got two of ESPN’s top-100 outside linebackers in Bessemer City (Ala.) High’s Jamal Brooks and Whitehaven High’s Aubrey Miller from Memphis, but that was a vulnerable spot for last fall’s struggling defense. More depth wouldn’t hurt, but it’s not a glaring issue with Mizzou’s transition to a bit of a 4-2-5 style. It’s also been six years since the program took more than two linebackers in a class.

Signed (3)

Commitments (20)

This story was originally published January 31, 2017 at 10:10 AM with the headline "Mizzou football outlook for National Signing Day."