Lee’s Summit North’s Nwaneri, KC metro’s 1st top-ranked football recruit, picks Mizzou
Williams Nwaneri of Lee’s Summit North, the Kansas City metro’s first national No. 1-ranked high school football recruit, announced on Monday that he will attend and compete for the University of Missouri in 2024.
The Lee’s Summit North defensive end announced his decision inside the Broncos’ gymnasium and on ESPN’s College Football Live. He will be a senior this fall.
Nwaneri picked the Tigers over Oklahoma, Georgia, Oregon and Tennessee. He becomes Mizzou’s second-highest recruit in program history, according to 247sports, behind wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham in 2012.
“It was the right spot for me,” Nwaneri said of Missouri. “It didn’t feel like they were trying to sell me something, it felt like it was real relationships.”
Eliah Drinkwitz, others react to Nwaneri commitment
Here is head coach Eliah Drinkwitz and company’s reaction to Nwaneri’s commitment:
The 6-foot-6, nearly 260-pound Nwaneri thanked his family, teammates and coaches before standing up and pulling a white, black and gold Missouri hat out of his backpack. He then put the hat on and announced that he would be heading to Columbia.
Those inside the packed gym erupted in applause, then sang out a chant of M-I-Z ... Z-O-U!
“It’s one of the bigger days in Missouri’s history of recruiting and certainly for Eliah Drinkwitz,” ESPN’s Tom Luginbill said during the broadcast. “The 2023 and 2024 class in the state of Missouri is probably the best, most well-stocked two classes back-to-back I’ve seen in the last 20 years.”
Williams Nwaneri’s commitment
Along with Lee’s Summit North coach Jamar Mozee, Nwaneri was joined by his father, mother and two siblings at the table where he made his announcement Monday.
Nwaneri said that he actually made his final decision last week, after making a “silent commitment” to Mizzou’s coaching staff 3-4 weeks ago. He said two of the top reasons behind his decision were how close Mizzou is to home and the chance to play in the SEC.
When asked what he’s most excited for, Nwaneri re-emphasized how important his family is to him. He said it was important for his parents and siblings to be able to attend every game.
“He has a really big family and so those things are important,” Mozee said. “I’ve already got a couple guys there, Armand Membou and Logan Muckey, so I’m a fan of Williams Nwaneri, too, when he goes to the Missouri Tigers.”
Mizzou football recruiting
The five-star Nwaneri’s commitment gives Drinkwitz a headliner in his 2024 recruiting class, which was previously ranked No. 60. The defensive end joins cornerback Cameron Keys (No. 226) as nationally ranked recruits in the Tigers’ 2024 class.
Nwaneri is Drinkwitz’s second five-star high school recruit. Sophomore wide receiver Luther Burden III, the third-highest recruit in program history, was the first in 2022 — and like Nwaneri, he was heavily recruited by Oklahoma. Nwaneri said a few MU players, including Burden, have reached out to him already.
Nwaneri said that he wants to win as much as possible at Mizzou. When asked if his commitment is a placeholder — and whether he would consider de-committing — Nwaneri said no: He’s all-in on the Tigers.
“They’re getting a position-versatile player, a player they can count on,” he said. “Really, just a player that’s going to show up every day.
“I’m 1000% committed. I don’t plan on flipping or changing.”
This story was originally published August 14, 2023 at 4:17 PM.
