Missouri football recruiting outlook

Bauer originally committed to Missouri as a sophomore then flipped to Mississippi in March before re-committing to the Tigers in November. He’s ranked as the 137th-best prospect overall and the second-best in Missouri by Rivals despite missing his entire senior season because of a torn labrum.

A late bloomer, Brown totaled 61 catches for 1,081 yards with 21 touchdowns as a senior and helped North Gwinnett reach the state championship game, which prompted attention from Georgia and South Carolina. He only had 41 catches for 491 yards and nine touchdowns as a junior.

Wingo has speed to burn — Rivals.com lists him with a 4.31 40-yard dash — and that prompted offers Auburn, Michigan State and Oklahoma among others. But Wingo, whose brother Ronnie Jr. plays for the Bills, elected to stay home in the end.

Ranked as one of the nation’s top outside linebackers, Lee is already on campus after enrolling at Missouri at semester. That should give him a chance to bulk up and perhaps make an impact (on special teams, if nothing else) next season. Lee wants to become an orthopedic surgeon.

Officially, Wilson is listed as an athlete, but Missouri’s plan calls for him to play safety. Last season, Wilson, a two-way star, helped Buford claim its 10th state championship since 2000. He also played wide receiver. His twin brother, Terrance, has been offered a preferred walk-on spot with the Tigers.

*Rivals.com national position ranking

Jhonathon Williams, the 24th-best prospect in Michigan, initially committed to Missouri after a visit in late September. Two months later, he flipped that commitment to Notre Dame in order to stay closer to home. Williams is 6 feet, 6 inches and 230 pounds with potential to become a monster off the edge.

The Tigers remain in the hunt for two of the nation’s best defensive tackles — Poona Ford (6-1, 288) from Hilton Head, S.C., who is ranked No. 24 at his position by Rivals.com, and Daniel Cage (6-3, 275) from Cincinnati, who is ranked 27th. Ford, who squats 660 pounds, is also considering Texas — he originally committed to Charlie Strong’s Louisville squad — and Purdue. Cage is weighing offers from Michigan State and Notre Dame among other suitors.

Missouri added quality and quantity in the secondary. In addition to Wingo and Wilson, the Tigers picked up the 96th-ranked junior college prospect, cornerback Kenya Dennis, and the nation’s 36th-best high school safety, Greg Taylor from East St. Louis (Ill.), along with Lee’s Summit West cornerback Logan Cheadle, who has already enrolled along with Dennis. Missouri’s running back haul, Florida natives Trevon Walters and Ish Witter, also looks strong.

Missouri doesn’t have a defensive tackle in the fold and also is light on defensive ends, though the Tigers have 10 defensive linemen from the last two recruiting classes on the roster. Still, coach Gary Pinkel is trying to hang on to Rocel McWilliams, who received late interest from Florida, and aims to flip Cincinnati commit Spencer Williams (6-4, 230), a defensive end from Jacksonville, Fla.

This story was originally published February 4, 2014 at 11:22 AM with the headline "Missouri football recruiting outlook."