Missouri football picks up pair of recruits as signing day draws near

Missouri football added two more prospects Saturday, landing a pair of players from Little Rock, Ark.

Little Rock Christian running back Damarea Crockett, who had committed to Boise State in July, was the first domino to fall.

As Lincoln Christian quarterback Micah Wilson did Thursday night, Crockett announced on Twitter that he was de-committing from the Broncos.

Crockett, a four-star prospect ranked as the No. 3 player in Arkansas and No. 9 running back in the country by Rivals, followed up shortly after by tweeting his commitment to the Tigers.

Crockett, listed at 5-foot-11 and 212 pounds, also had offers from Arizona State, Vanderbilt, Memphis and Navy among others.

ESPN, Scout and 247 Sports all rate Crockett, who helped the Warriors reach the Arkansas Class 5A semifinals, as a three-star recruit.

Utsey, a 6-foot-4, 295-pound prospect from Parkview High, announced Saturday on Twitter that he was de-committing from Arizona, a school he’d given a verbal pledge to in July.

Rivals lists Utsey as a two-star recruit, but ESPN, 247 Sports and Scout all graded him as a three-star prospect.

Missouri now has 17 known commitments in its 2016 class, including offensive tackle Tyler Howell.

Howell, a Bonner Springs graduate by way of Butler (Kan.) Community College, enrolled for the spring semester after signing with the Tigers in December.

National signing day for high school seniors is Feb. 3.

Crockett is the second running back in the class, joining East St. Louis (Ill.) graduate Natereace Strong, another Rivals four-star prospect, who detoured to Hinds (Miss.) Community College last season.

Utsey is the first defensive tackle and third defensive lineman, joining Columbia-Rock Bridge’s Tre Williams and South Oak Cliff’s Marvin Terry from Dallas.

This story was originally published January 23, 2016 at 10:03 PM with the headline "Missouri football picks up pair of recruits as signing day draws near."