Missouri 2012 Recruiting

Missouri Tigers 2012 ... Head Coach: Gary Pinkel

Missouri Tigers

2011 Record: 8-5

Sep. 3 Miami Univ. W 17-6
Sep. 10 at Arizona St L 37-30 OT
Sep. 17 Western Illinois W 69-0
Sep. 24 at Oklahoma L 38-28
Oct. 1 OPEN DATE
Oct. 8 at Kansas State L 24-17
Oct. 15 Iowa State W 52-17
Oct. 22 Oklahoma St L 45-24
Oct. 29 at Texas A&M W 38-31 OT
Nov. 5 at Baylor L 42-39
Nov. 12 Texas W 17-5
Nov. 19 Texas Tech W 31-27
Nov. 26 Kansas (in KC) W 24-10
Independence Bowl
Dec. 26 North Carolina W 41-24
 
2010 CFN Prediction: 9-3
2010 Record: 10-3

Sept. 4 Illinois W 23-13 (in St. L.)
Sept. 11 McNeese St  W 50-6
Sept. 18 San Diego St W 27-24
Sept. 25 Miami Univ. W 51-13
Oct. 2 OPEN DATE
Oct. 9 Colorado W 26-0
Oct. 16 at Texas A&M W 30-9
Oct. 23 Oklahoma W 36-27
Oct. 30 at Nebraska L 31-17
Nov. 6 at Texas Tech L 24-17
Nov. 13 Kansas State W 38-28
Nov. 20 at Iowa State W 14-0
Nov. 27 Kansas (in KC) W 35-7
INSIGHT BOWL
Dec. 28 Iowa L 27-24
- Get Mizzou Tickets

The Entire 2012 Recruiting Class 

Top 5 Missouri Recruits To Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. Dorial Green-Beckham
6-6, 220, Scout.com 1st ranked, five-star receiver. All of the athletic tools a coach looks for in a wide receiver prospect. Most taller receivers are deep receivers, fade guys who can out body and out jump smaller defenders, etc, but what sets Green-Beckham apart is that he can not only do those things, but he can do things smaller receivers do as well. He is a very good open field runner who can take short passes and turn them into big plays. May be the best receiver to come out in years.

2. C Evan Boehm
6-3, 290, Scout.com 1st ranked, four-star center. He's not the most physically impressive guy on the hoof, but he knows how to play and his technique is strong. He also has some toughness to him. He can move pretty well, but struggled at times in one-on-ones when he was matched up with a quicker end on his outside shoulder. But rarely in game situations will Boehm be in that sort of situation.

3. QB Maty Mauk
6-2, 190, Scout.com 14th ranked, four-star quarterback. Mauk is a winner who has been amazingly productive throughout his career. He has a lot of polish, sees the field well and makes good decisions. He has solid zip on his short to intermediate passes and can throw on the move. He has a great sixth sense for feeling the rush and getting away from defenders and making plays when his first read breaks down.

4. LB Donavin Newsom
6-2, 225, Scout.com 9th ranked, four-star middle linebacker. He has great speed and quickness which he uses to cover sideline to sideline from his MLB position, and he also brings a lot of pressure on the blitz and has good cover skills as well. He is physical and plays with a mean streak on the field. He has very good hands and ball skills. He could probably be a very talented tailback with his size, speed, vision and natural ability to make plays with the ball in his hands.

5. DT Edmond Ray
6-5, 290, Scout.com 26th ranked, three-star defensive tackle. Ray is an athletic big man with good speed and quickness who explodes off the line of scrimmage. He has good speed and shows the ability to get after the quarterback, run down plays to the opposite side, or play the run in the middle of the line. He is aggressive and has a good motor. He also plays offensive tackle for the Huskies and rarely leaves the field.

The 2012 Class Was Heavy On... Top-shelf players. Helping out the linebacking corps would be nice, and getting a few more defensive linemen to go with last year’s haul would be a plus, but with the move coming to the SEC the Tigers need to get far stronger and far better across the board. Head coach Gary Pinkel has a good-looking class coming in, but he needs to land as many four-and-five star prospects as possible with so many areas already looking good for the next few years.

Team Concerns For 2012: Defensive line. The 2011 class has to pay off quicker than can be reasonably asked, especially at tackle, while end Jacques Smith has to be replaced on the outside. There might not be much from this class that can help right away, but the depth needs to be beefed up.

Looking Ahead To The 2012 Season: The Tigers are off to the SEC East with a team good enough to make plenty of noise. The offensive line loses three starters, but Mizzou has become a factory for turning out steady front fives. Everything will revolve around dual-threat QB James Franklin with the hopes of star back Henry Josey to return healthy after suffering a bad knee injury. He’s not a lock to come back this year, meaning Kendial Lawrence might have to carry the load. Tight end Michel Egnew is gone, but leading receiver T.J. Moe is back. The defense has a ton of work to do on the line, and strongside linebacker Luke Lambert is done, but the back seven is athletic and good prospects are ready for bigger roles up front.

2011 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 21. That Class Was Heavy On ... Defensive linemen. The last two classes brought in the skill players, but Gary Pinkel didn’t ignore the stars this year with another great quarterback prospect in Corbin Berkstresser and big, Tiger-like targets in Wesley Leftwich and Brandon Hannah. The offensive line got stronger at guard, and the secondary got some reinforcements, but the strength is on the defensive front where JUCO transfer Sheldon Richardson will be an All-Big 12 star now, and end Shane Ray will soon be another Aldon Smith. Gerrand Johnson will be a monster of an inside presence once he hits the weights.

2010 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 39. That Class Was Heavy On ... Skill players. It was a bit of a strange class considering Gary Pinkel and his staff signed a slew of skill players last year, but this year's haul might be even more talented. Quarterbacks James Franklin and Tyler Gabbert will have years to work and develop behind Tyler's brother, Blaine Gabbert. WR Marcus Lucas won't fill the hole left by Danario Alexander, but he's another big, fast target with NFL upside. Up front, Nick Demien is a great offensive tackle prospect who should be the anchor by 2013. End Kony Ealy leads the defensive side as the team's top end prospect.

2009 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 39. That Class Was Heavy On ... offensive reinforcements. The defense was hardly ignored with DT Sheldon Richardson a sure-thing All-Big 12 talent and JUCO transfer Josh Tatum is a plug-n-play linebacker, but with all the superstars gone off the offense, head coach Gary Pinkel had to find a new wave of offensive prospects to develop. Blaine Dalton is a smallish quarterback who can move, while RB Kendial Lawrence and receivers Jaleel Clark and Kerwin Stricker are going to be counted on to shine by 2011.

AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl
Missouri 41 … North Carolina 24
- CFN Thoughts on the Game

Missouri: The Tigers outgained UNC 337 rushing yards to 36 … QB James Franklin completed 15-of-23 passes for 132 yards and a score with a pick, and he led the team with 142 yards and two scores on 18 carries. … Kendial Lawrence ran 16 times for 108 yards and a score. … L’Damian Washington caught three passes for 47 yards, but eight different Tigers caught passes. … Andrew Wilson led the team with nine tackles with half a sack, two tackles for loss, and a forced fumble.

North Carolina: The Tar Heels outpassed Mizzou 317 yards to 176. … QB Bryn Renner completed 27-of-42 passes for 317 yards and three scores with a pick. … Giovani Bernard was held to 31 yards on 13 carries. … Erik Highsmith caught eight passes for 77 yards and a score. … Punter Thomas Hibbard averaged 48.8 yards per kick putting three of his four attempts inside the 20. … Zach Brown led the team with 14 tackles with an interception and two tackles for loss.

(AP) -- Missouri made sure its final football game as a member of the Big 12 was decided early.

James Franklin ran for two touchdowns and threw for another, and the Tigers easily beat North Carolina 41-24 in the Independence Bowl on Monday night.

Missouri (8-5) ends the season on a four-game winning streak for the first time since 1965. The Tigers will join the Southeastern Conference next fall and showed one reason they should be a factor immediately: The 6-foot-2, 225-pound Franklin, a sophomore who generally did as he pleased in both the running and passing games.

Franklin, named the game's offensive Most Valuable Player, rushed for 142 yards and threw for 132 despite less than ideal conditions in the cold and rain at Independence Stadium. He led the Tigers to 31 first-half points - an Independence Bowl record.

For North Carolina (7-6), a season that started with a promising 5-1 record ends with a lopsided loss. The Tar Heels lost five of their final seven under interim coach Everett Withers, who leaves to become defensive coordinator at Ohio State under Urban Meyer.

North Carolina had the Atlantic Coast Conference's second-best rushing defense, giving up just 106.2 yards per game. But the Tigers found plenty of running room with Franklin and Kendial Lawrence, repeatedly gashing the Tar Heels for big gains.

Lawrence rushed for 108 yards and a touchdown as the Tigers racked up 337 yards on the ground.

North Carolina's poor defense wasted a productive game by quarterback Bryn Renner, who threw for 317 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.

Missouri's mascot - Truman the Tiger - shattered most of the original Independence Bowl trophy before the game started in a pre-game accident. The Tigers were more than happy to claim the replacement.

North Carolina scored first, with Renner hitting Dwight Jones for a 22-yard touchdown pass with 12:12 left in the first quarter. That would be the high point for the Tar Heels.

Missouri responded with a 40-yard touchdown pass from receiver T.J. Moe to Wes Kemp after a lateral from Franklin. Moe hadn't thrown a touchdown pass since his days as a high school quarterback in suburban St. Louis, and it was just his second complete pass of the season.

The Tigers scored again on Franklin's 2-yard run to take a 14-7 lead late in the first quarter. The touchdown was set up by Franklin's 16-yard pass to L'Damian Washington that put the Tigers at the 2-yard line. Washington grew up in Shreveport, just a few miles from Independence Stadium.

And Missouri just kept piling on.

The Tigers scored two touchdowns and a field goal during the second quarter to take a 31-10 halftime lead.

North Carolina had a glimmer of hope late in the third when Jheranie Boyd caught a 44-yard touchdown pass from Renner to pull the Tar Heels to 34-17. But Missouri responded minutes later with Franklin's second touchdown run of the night and the rout continued.

Nov. 26 Missouri 24 … Kansas 10  

Nov. 19 at Missouri 31 … Texas Tech 27
CFN Analysis: Missouri came through late under the pressure of a Texas Tech offense that clicked again for the first time in weeks, and James Franklin once again showed he’s ready to be the star of the program next year. Despite the absence of suspended head coach Gary Pinkel, the team was fie. There was only one fumble and four penalties. … Franklin showed he’s able to carry more of the rushing load with Henry Josey out, running 20 times for 152 yards and two scores, while Kendial Lawrence was excellent with 94 yards on just 15 carries. … The defense had a hard time generating pressure and it had problems with the Red Raider passing game, but Luke Lambert kept catches and yards to a minimum with 13 tackles. Kenji Jackson added 11 stops. … The Tigers are bowl eligible, and now it’s time to turn the season into something solid with a win over Kansas and a 7-5 record.  

Nov. 12 at Missouri 17 … Texas 5
CFN Analysis: That’s the Missouri defense everyone was waiting for. The talent is there up front and the experience is there in the linebacking corps, but the production hasn’t been up to snuff. After getting ripped up by Baylor, the Tigers played with fire and fury at home, keeping Texas to 247 total yards and stuffing the run. … Henry Josey got beaten up and battered with an apparent concussion and then a knee injury - he's gone for the year. He only ran for 19 yards on 11 carries, but Kendial Lawrence stepped in and ran for 106 yards and a score. … James Franklin was perfect to start the game, and while he only ran for 33 yards, he completed 18-of-26 passes for 186 yards, hitting his first ten throws. … After all the consistency problems, the Tigers should end up with a decent 7-5 finish if they can take care of Texas Tech and Kansas.  

Nov. 5 at Baylor 42 … Missouri 39
CFN Analysis: Just when it seemed like Missouri had things on the right track with the win at Texas A&M, if came out flat, came up with an awful game out of the linebackers early on, and now it’ll take two wins in the final three against Texas, Texas Tech, and Kansas to go bowling. James Franklin was fantastic in the fourth quarter in the comeback attempt, and Henry Josey ran for 132 yards and two scores on 15 carries, but the missed tackles and the lack of pressure on Griffin was too much to overcome. There’s too much talent on the line to be this soft against anyone’s running game, while the secondary was picked clean when Griffin had time to work. The program might be off to the SEC, but it needs to go out with a bang. The team is better than 4-5, but it’s almost too late to start showing it. 

Oct. 29 Missouri 38 .. at Texas A&M 31 OT
CFN Analysis: Just when it seemed like Missouri was in for a 3-5 start and a lost season, James Franklin came up with a tremendous performance and Henry Josey ran wild. The Tigers rumbled for 284 yards with Josey coming up with 162 yards and Franklin running for two scores, to go along with 198 passing yards and two scores. The Tiger defense held up reasonably well on the road against a high-powered attack, and unlike the overtime loss at Arizona State after a missed kick late in regulation, the offense didn’t panic as Franklin came up with a few nice plays and a good 11-yard throw to Marcus Lucas for what turned out to be the game-winning score. While Big 12 title hopes are gone, if Mizzou can beat Baylor in Waco next week, all of a sudden a 5-4 start would look great going into a home date against Texas. 

Oct. 22 Oklahoma State 45 … at Missouri 24
CFN Analysis: James Franklin might be faster and more mobile than Blaine Gabbert, but against Oklahoma State his height was a problem. A taller quarterback like Gabbert probably doesn’t get two passes batted for picks like Franklin, and against a team like OSU there was no margin for error. Henry Josey ran for 138 yards and Franklin wasn’t awful, but Mizzou didn’t capitalize their several chances and they couldn’t get the pass rush needed to throw off Brandon Weeden and the passing game. The secondary has been shaky all year, and this was the wrong team and the wrong time to try to improve. With road trips to Texas A&M and Baylor up next, this could be a tough stretch and a bowl game is now in jeopardy. 

Oct. 15 at Missouri 52 ... Iowa State 17
CFN Analysis: Missouri needed to show off a little bit of offensive muscle, and it did in a big way with James Franklin overcoming two picks and getting the passing game rolling, while Henry Josey ripped off close to seven yards per carry running for 129 yards and a score while also coming up with a few nice kickoff returns. Getting tight end Michael Egnew involved way a plus, getting him the ball six times for 105 yards and a score. The three turnovers weren’t a plus, but the defense did a great job and there weren’t any penalties in a cathartic blowout. The offense and Franklin have to stay red hot with Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, and Baylor coming up next. The Tigers put a halt to the slide after two straight losses, but Iowa State isn’t Oklahoma State. 

Oct. 8 at Kansas State 24 … Missouri 17
CFN Analysis: The Missouri offense can’t find any semblance of consistency. It had a hard time against Oklahoma until late, and it didn’t get going until it was way too late against Kansas State. James Franklin has been okay, but he’s not getting enough help from the running game with no room to move in the first quarter. Down 24-3, Franklin got hot and the Tigers made it interesting late with two touchdowns in the final eight minutes, but it wasn’t nearly enough. The big problem was an inability to keep the chains moving; Mizzou just never had the ball. The defense was solid, only allowing 286 yards of total KSU offense, but Frankin and the Tiger attack converted just 4-of-13 third down chances. 

Sept. 24 at Oklahoma 38 … Missouri 28
CFN Analysis: Missouri might have lost, but it found its stars to work around for the next few years. This was James Franklin’s coming out party, showing he could produce against a top defense in a hostile environment, and Henry Josey was terrific inside and out. The problem at the moment is Grant Ressel, who missed a huge kick against Arizona State and missed two 46 yarders in key spots this week. He’s good enough to get it back and go on a run, but Mizzou needs him to be automatic like he was last year. 

Sept. 17 at Missouri 69 ... Western Illinois 0
CFN Analysis: Coming off the Arizona State loss, and with the Oklahoma showdown coming up, Mizzou needed a nice, easy breather just to open up the attack a little big James Franklin stretched out his passing arm throwing for 246 yards and three scores, while the running game got 263 yards and three touchdowns from Henry Josey, who established himself as the main man for the offense. Averaging 18.8 yards per carry on 14 runs isn’t a bad thing. Can any of the production carry over? Will the timing matter against the Sooners? Two lost fumbles and nine penalties were a problem considering the Tigers have to be perfect to have any shot against OU. 

Sept. 9 Arizona State 37 … Missouri 30 OT
CFN Analysis:   If you were to tell Missouri that the game could be won on a Grant Ressel field goal attempt, it would be a lock. The two missed field goals from the All-American aside, the Tigers had no business being alive late after having so many problems with the ASU passing game and with 11 penalties for 113 yards. On the plus side, James Franklin looks like a keeper, showing poise and maturity under intense pressure finishing with 319 yards and two touchdowns on 26-of-42 passing. While the offense is going to let him throw like a typical Mizzou quarterback, he had a terrific game on the ground with 84 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries. The defense gets a week off against Western Illinois before going to Oklahoma.     

Sept. 3 at Missouri 17 … Miami Univ. 6
CFN Analysis: Remember, Missouri, Miami University won the MAC title last year and is strong enough to possibly do it again this year. No, the Tiger offense wasn’t explosive as hoped for, and the passing game didn’t exactly click with Blaine Gabbert gone, but the defense was terrific when it had to be and was great against the run. James Franklin completed 17-of-26 passes for 129 yards and a score with a pick, but he didn’t push the ball down the field enough and he ended up running way too much; leading the team with 14 carries for 72 yards and a score. Blame the rough start on the excessive heat and maybe because it was the season opener, but with Arizona State up next, the offense has to find more pop in a hurry. 

The 2011 Recruiting Class Is Heavy On … Defensive linemen. The last two classes brought in the skill players, but Gary Pinkel didn’t ignore the stars this year with another great quarterback prospect in Corbin Berkstresser and big, Tiger-like targets in Wesley Leftwich and Brandon Hannah. The offensive line got stronger at guard, and the secondary got some reinforcements, but the strength is on the defensive front where JUCO transfer Sheldon Richardson will be an All-Big 12 star now, and end Shane Ray will soon be another Aldon Smith. Gerrand Johnson will be a monster of an inside presence once he hits the weights.

Five Missouri Recruits You Should Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. DT Sheldon Richardson
6-4, 270, four-star JUCO transfer. The size of a defensive tackle, but the quickness to play end, Richardson has a quick burst off the ball and uses his hands well to beat blockers. His speed is excellent and has the ability to chase down plays from the back side. His best position long term would likely be defensive tackle, but inside or outside, he needs to play with better pad level against the run. Nearly impossible to handle one on one. Turned down Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Oregon, USC, and others.

2. DE Shane Ray
6-3, 225, Scout.com’s 28th ranked defensive end. Ray played all across the line as a junior, but wherever he lined up he made big plays. At times he has tremendous explosion and that makes him almost impossible to block. But his biggest strength is his will to make the play no matter what. Even on the snaps where he plays too high or struggles with his technique he still battles through to make things happen.

3. QB Corbin Berkstresser
6-4, 220, Scout.com’s 33rd ranked quarterback. One of the most highly-touted quarterback prospects in the nation who brings an impressive resume to Mizzou. Won 1st-Team All-State honors as a senior after an impressive season that saw him amass 3,369 passing yards and 36 touchdowns, compared to only 6 interceptions … Also showed an ability to impact the game with his feet, as he ran for 712 yards and 12 more scores as he helped lead his team to the state playoffs … Threw for 1,300 yards and 7 touchdowns as a junior, while he had 1,800 yards and 10 passing touchdowns as a sophomore … Won 2nd- Team All-Conference honors in both his sophomore and junior seasons, as well.

4. S Cortland Browning
6-2, 185, Scout.com’s 30th ranked safety. Athletic defensive back prospect who is known for good versatility in coverage schemes and is an aggressive cover man who has good break to the ball. Chose Mizzou over TCU, Texas A&M and Kansas.

5. WR Wesley Leftwich
6-2, 195, Scout.com’s 76th ranked receiver. Was featured primarily as a wideout, catching 16 passes in 2010 for 257 yards and 4 touchdowns, after catching 17 passes for 376 yards and 5 scores during his junior season … Is considered a receiver with great hands, who is tough with a strong frame and good speed.

2011 Entire Recruiting Class

Corbin Berkstresser QB 6-3 220 Lee’s Summit, Mo. (Lee’s Summit HS)
Michael Boddie OL 6-6 280 Gilmer, Texas (Gilmer HS)
Kentrell Brothers LB 6-1 220 Guthrie, Okla. (Guthrie HS)
Cortland Browning DB 6-2 195 Tyler, Texas (Lee HS)
Taylor Chappell OL 6-6 280 Canadian, Texas (Canadian HS)
Brandon Durant LB 6-0 205 Copperas Cove, Texas (Copperas Cove HS)
Clarence Green LB 6-0 210 Clute, Texas (Brazoswood HS)
Brandon Hannah ATH 6-3 235 St. Louis, Mo. (Chaminade HS)
David Johnson DB 6-0 190 Spring, Texas (Spring HS)
Gerrand Johnson DL 6-2 285 Rayville, La. (Rayville HS)
Wesley Leftwich WR 6-2 200 Columbia, Mo. (Hickman HS)
Connor McGovern OL 6-4 280 Fargo, N.D. (Shanley HS)
Brad McNulty OL 6-3 305 Allen, Texas (Allen HS)
Ernest Payton DB 6-3 195 College Station, Texas (A&M Consolidated)
Shane Ray DL 6-3 230 Shawnee Mission, Kan. (Bishop Miege HS)
Sheldon Richardson DL 6-4 290 St. Louis, Mo. (Gateway Tech HS/Col. of Sequoias)
Ian Simon DB 5-11 180 Mansfield, Texas (Legacy HS)