University of Missouri

Mizzou recruiting news: Aijha Blackwell and Tray Jackson commit, Kelly Bryant visits

By Alex Schiffer

Updated October 26, 2018 11:30 AM

Clemson’s Kelly Bryant might have to defend his Starting Quarterback title every week, and eventually might lose it to promising freshman Trevor Lawrence. Rusty Costanza AP

Columbia

OK, we’ve had some pretty loaded editions of this column before.

But I’m going out on a limb to say this is the most loaded column I’ve done since it started.

With that hype, let’s get going.

Kelly Bryant to visit this weekend

Clemson transfer quarterback Kelly Bryant will take an official visit to Missouri this weekend.

Give credit to Mizzou coach Barry Odom. Bryant could have visited anywhere in the country and yet here he is coming to Columbia. Missouri is clearly a situation he likes more than others and for good reason. Out of the schools in the mix for him like Arkansas and North Carolina, Missouri is in the most stable shape and he would start for the Tigers the second he steps on campus.

Should Albert Okwuegbunam return, Bryant would be leading an offense with Jalen Knox, all three tailbacks and an offensive line that returns three starters. The defense would return a lot as well. I talked to Bryant’s high school coach, Jeff Tate, who told me his former star player is all about fit and isn’t going to choose a school for its name or location to home. Arkansas coach Chad Morris recruited Bryant to Clemson and is considered a favorite, but Bryant recently said that Baylor and Louisville are also on his radar.

Tray Jackson commits to Mizzou

Last Friday night, Tray Jackson committed to Missouri, just hours after cutting ties with Minnesota. Attempts to reach Jackson or his family have been unsuccessful and I’m told from those around him that he likely doesn’t talk. But let’s break it down.

This is a gigantic get for Cuonzo Martin’s basketball program. I don’t think it’s out of the question to say that Jackson saved the recruiting class and then some. After E.J. Liddell committed to Ohio State, your guess as to who the Tigers landed was as good as mine. Mario McKinney was a solid get, but he needed company to follow up on Martin’s first two classes.

But Jackson gives Missouri someone who can play all five positions and is looked at as a possible pro prospect. I don’t know what Jontay Porter will do after he recovers from his torn ACL, but Jackson can take Porter’s spot in the lineup whenever he leaves.

Jackson’s commitment also has two other caveats. He plays for Sunrise Christian Academy, a loaded powerhouse a few hours away in Wichita, and he’s from Michigan. I wrote last year how assistant coach Cornell Mann is trying to get a pipeline going in Michigan and Jackson is a heck of a prospect to kick it off. Missouri will still likely add one or two more prospects and now with Jackson aboard, the staff can get picky.

Christopher comes through CoMo

Josh Christopher, a five-star 2020 recruit, took an official visit to Missouri last weekend and all indications from both sides are that it went very well. As I’ve said before, this is as unique a situation as I’ve seen in the business. Christopher’s cousin is Missouri strength coach Nicodemus Christopher, and while Mark Smith was Josh’s player-host, he spent most of his time with Nicodemus.

Assistant coach Chris Hollender and Martin are helping Nicodemus with the recruiting efforts, but it’s not everyday you see a strength coach as your program’s biggest salesman. Christopher plans to take a few more visits before his high school season starts, so this is a recruitment that’s far from over. But Missouri made a heck of an opening statement.

Aijha Blackwell commits to Missouri

On Monday, Robin Pingeton landed a gigantic recruit as 2019 five-star guard Aijha Blackwell committed to Missouri. The daughter of the late Ernest Blackwell, a former Missouri running back, Blackwell is the biggest recruit Pingeton has landed since Sophie Cunningham committed to her years ago. Here’s why.

I’ve always said that Pingeton can be as successful as she wants at Missouri as long as she landed one of the state’s top few players, which is usually a top-30 national recruit, and build around her. She’s done that with Cunningham and the results speak for themselves.

Whitfield’s Aijha Blackwell, right, heads to the basket past Strafford’s Mica Chadwell during the second half of the Missouri Class 3 girls high school championship basketball game Saturday, March 11, 2017, in Columbia, Mo. Strafford won 80-39. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson) Jeff Roberson AP

But getting the star to build around hasn’t been easy. Napheesa Collier went to Connecticut and Alecia Sutton went to Texas. Blackwell is ranked No. 8 in the ESPN rankings and joins Hayley Frank, a top-30 recruit, at Mizzou. Pingeton has two players to build around and can make a lot of noise if this turns into a regular habit. If there’s ever a statue of Pingeton outside Mizzou Arena next to Norm Stewart, we can point to the Cunningham era as the reason.

Kobe Brown visits Columbia

Right after Christopher left campus, Missouri hosted 2019 four-star recruit Kobe Brown on Sunday and Monday. Brown is a 6-foot-7 forward who looks like a thicker version of Liddell.

Brown seemed to enjoy his visit from what I’m told, but I haven’t seen him do any interviews since he left town. Minnesota, Texas A&M and Western Kentucky all seem to be Missouri’s competition for Brown.

Should he commit, that would be an impressive class for Cuonzo Martin given that he missed on Liddell. But with the FBI ruling this week and more trials set to start early next year, there could be a lot of blue-chip players on the market in the spring that normally wouldn’t be. The old saying is that it doesn’t matter how many scholarships a school has open, because teams can always find ways to make room, but I think it’s worth having one handy in the spring. Who knows what kind of circus can unfold.

Marcus Washington to decide Friday

Now we’ll head into the weekend. Marcus Washington, a four-star wide receiver from St. Louis, is expected to decide Saturday. All signs point to Texas. Washington was originally supposed to commit in August but backed off after the Zach Smith scandal at Ohio State.

Washington going elsewhere would halt a bit of Barry Odom’s recruiting momentum in St. Louis, but not a lot of it. He’s a 6-foot-2 wideout and doesn’t have a unique frame or is a program-changer. I think he’s someone Missouri could live without. Maybe he surprises everyone and stays home but I don’t think this is a prospect worth losing sleep over.

Stacy Brown commits to Missouri

Missouri landed a commitment from three-star defensive back Stacy Brown on Friday morning. Brown had offers from Air Force, Bowling Green and Colorado State among others. He hails from Duncanville, Texas and officially visited Missouri in September. He’s recently picked up offers from UConn and Utah and appears to be a under-the-radar recruit who is starting to pick up steam. He brings Missouri’s 2019 class to 14 commits.