With Gary Pinkel’s 13th recruiting class at Missouri officially in the books, PowerMizzou.com is taking a look back at each recruiting class by position. We’ll break down all of Gary Pinkel’s recruits and how they fared in their Tiger careers. We begin our Recruiting Recap stories today with the quarterbacks.
Before last season, one thing you could count on in the Gary Pinkel era at Missouri was reliable quarterback play.
From 2002-2012 the quarterback Missouri named as its starter in fall camp went 130 games without missing a start due to injury or ineffectiveness. From Brad Smith to Chase Daniel to Blaine Gabbert, Pinkel recruited and developed the quarterback position better than any on the roster. It’s no surprise that 2012’s quarterback troubles coincided with Pinkel’s worst season since 2004.
But behind the consistency of record setters like those mentioned above has been a revolving door of transfers and dismissals. Pinkel has now signed 19 quarterbacks at Missouri. Five are still in the program, three are in the NFL, one switched to defense and eight either transferred or were dismissed from the team. Only Chase Patton, a 4-star recruit, exhausted his eligibility at Missouri without starting a game.
But it’s not the guys holding the clipboard that determine how well a coach recruits quarterbacks. It’s the results on the field. Considering Pinkel has recruited and coached three of the best quarterbacks in school history, including a Heisman Trophy finalist, all of whom are now in the NFL, it’s tough to argue with the results.
Whether it’s landing a 5-star quarterback like Blaine Gabbert, or finding lesser-known gems like Smith or Daniel and turning them into winners, Pinkel has proven he can do both at Mizzou.
2001
Sonny Riccio: Ellwood City, PA - No Rivals rankings available
Left the program after three seasons
Career statistics: 13 completions, 22 attempts, 59 percent completions, 134 yards, two touchdowns, 0 interceptions.
Brad Smith: Youngstown, OH - No Rivals rankings available
5-year player; 4-time All-Big 12, Freshman All-American (2002)
Career statistics: 48 starts (25-23 record), 835 completions, 1484 attempts, 56.3 percent completions, 8,799 yards, 56 touchdowns, 33 interceptions, 114.1 rating.
Rushing: 799 attempts, 4,289 yards, 5.4 avg., 45 touchdowns.
Verdict: This first class of QB’s was an unabashed success thanks to signing Smith. He put Mizzou football back on the map, setting nearly every school passing and rushing record in the process. He was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2010.
2002
David Overstreet: Dallas, TX - 3-star recruit
5-year player; switched to safety after spending his redshirt freshman season at QB.
Career statistics: Overstreet was a two time All-Big 12 player on MU’s defense, but never played a down at quarterback.
Josh Hibbets: Enid, OK - 3-star recruit
Left the program after two seasons
Career statistics: Redshirted at QB as a freshman, before being switched to defensive back.
Verdict: Missouri signed two athletic signal-callers but with Smith firmly in control of the QB spot, both Overstreet and Hibbets were moved to defense. Overstreet went on to a successful career in the Tiger secondary.
2003
No quarterbacks signed
2004
Chase Patton: Columbia, MO - 4-star recruit
5-year player
Career Statistics: 18 completions, 31 attempts, 58.1 percent completions, 256 yards, one touchdown, one interception, 131.6 rating.
Rushing: 10 attempts, 43 yards, 4.3 avg., two touchdowns
Darrell Jackson: Webster Groves, MO - 3-star recruit
Left program during first season
Career statistics: 0 games
Verdict: At the time, landing Patton, a 4-star recruit from Columbia, was a huge recruiting coup for the Tigers. While he never started a game, he was a reliable backup for Mizzou during an extremely successful five-year stretch.
2005
Chase Daniel: Southlake, TX - 3-star recruit
5-year player; Heisman Trophy finalist (2007), 3-time All-Big 12
Career Statistics: 41 career starts (30-11 record), 1,094 completions, 1,609 attempts, 68 percent completions, 12,515 yards, 101 touchdowns, 41 interceptions, 148.9 rating (best in school history).
Rushing: 363 attempts, 971 yards, 2.7 avg., 10 touchdowns
Verdict: At one time considered undersized and overlooked, Daniel turned out to be the best signing in Gary Pinkel’s tenure and arguably the best in Missouri history. The Heisman finalist is Missouri’s record holder in nearly every statistical passing category.
2006
Dominic Grooms: Tampa, FL - 3-star recruit
Left program after two seasons
Career statistics: 0 games
J.P. Tillman: Cypress, TX - 3-star recruit
Left program after two seasons
Career Statistics: 0 games
Verdict: Grooms and Tillman were both top-25 dual-threat QB prospects, but behind Chase Daniel, both transferred without ever taking a snap for the Tigers.
2007
No quarterbacks signed
2008
Blaine Gabbert: Ballwin, MO - 5-star recruit
3-year player; left for NFL with one year of eligibility remaining, drafted 10th overall, 2-time All-Big 12
Career statistics: 26 starts (18-8 record), 568 completions, 933 attempts, 61 percent completions, 6,822 yards, 40 touchdowns, 18 interceptions, 132.6 rating (second-highest in school history).
Rushing: 221 attempts, 458 yards, 2.1 average, 8 touchdowns
Verdict: Keeping the 5-star Gabbert in-state was a huge recruiting win for Missouri. While he never won over Mizzou fans the way his predecessor did, Gabbert is statistically, the school’s second best quarterback ever. He won 18 games in two years, led Mizzou to an upset of no. 1 ranked Oklahoma, and was a top-10 NFL pick.
2009
Blaine Dalton: Blue Springs, MO - 3-star recruit
Left program after one season
Career statistics: 0 games
Ashton Glaser: Springdale, AR - 3-star recruit
Left program after three seasons
Career statistics: 0 games
Verdict: What looked like a promising duo of quarterbacks never panned out. Dalton was dismissed in his first year on campus, and Glaser, a career backup, left before last season for Missouri State.
2010
James Franklin: Corinth, TX - 4-star recruit
Still in program
Career stats: 21 starts (11-10 record), 388 completions, 624 attempts, 62.2 percent completions, 32 touchdowns, 19 interceptions, 134.0 rating.
Rushing: 28 attempts, 1,219 yards, 3.7 avg., 17 touchdowns
Tyler Gabbert: Ballwin, MO - 4-star recruit
Left program after one season
Career statistics: 0 games
Verdict: With the signing of not one, but two highly-regarded recruits, it appeared Missouri had secured its future at the QB position for years to come. However, with Franklin’s recent injury problems and Gabbert’s early departure, the future of this class doesn’t seem so certain.
2011
Corbin Berkstresser: Lee’s Summit, MO - 3-star recruit
Still in program
Career stats: 4 starts (2-2 record), 88 completions, 177 attempts, 1,059 yards, 49.7 percent completions, five touchdowns, seven interceptions
Verdict: Missouri identified Berkstresser early in the recruiting process and he verbally committed to the Tigers prior to junior year in high school. While he struggled in his first collegiate action last season, he still has time to develop.
2012
Maty Mauk, Kenton, Ohio - 3-star recruit
Still in program
Career stats: Redshirted last season
Verdict: Mauk was identified early by Tiger coaches and chose Missouri over programs like Notre Dame and Michigan. While fans are hoping he’s the next Chase Daniel, we’ll have to wait and see.
2013
Trent Hosick: Kansas City, MO - 3-star recruit
Still in program
Career stats: n/a
Eddie Printz: Marietta, GA - 3-star recruit
Still in program
Career stats: n/a
Verdict: Missouri has signed two highly-regarded recruits with a different array of skills. However, the verdict is still out on how this QB class will turn out.
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