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. Today we continue our "Recruiting Rewind" series with a look at the wide receivers.
No coach in Missouri history has produced better receivers than Gary Pinkel. Look up and down the Mizzou's receiving records and you'll find almost entirely Pinkel-recruited players. In fact, eight of Mizzou's 10 leading receivers (if you include tight ends which we'll preview later in the series) were recruited by Pinkel and his staff.
Overall, Pinkel has signed 29 wideouts and he's had success with high and low rated recruits. In the Pinkel era, Missouri has signed five recruits who were four stars or higher. Among them are Jeremy Maclin, Marcus Lucas and Dorial Green-Beckham. But Pinkel has had equal success with two-star recruits like Danario Alexander, L'Damian Washington and Jerrell Jackson.
2001
Arnold Britt: St. Louis, MO - No recruiting rankings available
5-year player
Career statistics: 12 catches, 110 yards, 9.2 avg.
Sean Coffey: East Cleveland, OH - No recruiting rankings available
5-year player: 2004 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention
Career statistics: 118 catches, 1,596 yards, 13.5 avg., 13 touchdowns
Returns: 1 PR, 8 yards
Chris Crosby: St. Louis, MO - No recruiting rankings available
5-year player
Career statistics: 2 catches, 18 yards
Thomson Omboga: Grand Prairie, TX - No recruiting rankings available
4-year player
Career statistics: 126 catches, 1,259 yards, 10 avg., 3 touchdowns
Rushing: 5 attempts, 1 yard, 0.2 avg.
Returns: 2 KR, 41 yards, 20.5 avg., 20 PR, 254 yards, 12.7 avg.
Verdict: Pinkel and his staff brought in a big class of receivers in year one and got mixed results. Coffey and Omboga were very good players throughout their careers and each earned looks from NFL teams.
2002
No receivers signed
2003
Greg Bracey: Milwaukee, WI - 3-star recruit
5-year player
Career statistics: 6 catches, 132 yards, 22 avg., 2 touchdowns
Returns: 4 KR, 86 yards, 21.5 avg.
Brad Ekwerekwu: Arlington, TX - 3-star recruit
4-year player
Career statistics: 97 catches, 1,035 yards, 10.7 avg., 6 touchdowns
Passing: 3 completions, 4 attempts, 53 yards, 1 touchdown
Jason Ray: Broken Arrow, OK - 3-star
5-year player
Career statistics: 17 catches, 135 yards, 7.9 avg.
Verdict: This is a group that earns higher marks for leadership and longevity than overall production.
2004
William Franklin: St. Louis, MO - 3-star recruit
4-year player: 2-time All-Big 12 Honorable Mention, Drafted in 4th round of 2008 NFL Draft
Career statistics: 142 catches, 2,085 yards, 14.7 avg., 13 touchdowns
Rushing: 9 attempts, 11 yards, 1.1 avg.
Jerrill Humphrey: LaGrange, MO - 4-star recruit
Left the program after three seasons
Career statistics: 1 catch, 12 yards
Returns: 1 KR, 23 yards
Verdict: A great signing in Franklin and an unfortunate bust in Humphrey. Also worth noting is that Tommy Saunders walked on with the 2004 class and finished his career with similar numbers to Franklin: 150 catches, 1,600 yards, 10.7 avg., 11 touchdowns, and was named Big 12 Honorable Mention in 2008.
2005
No receivers signed
2006
Danario Alexander: Marlin, TX - 2-star recruit
4-year player; 2009 1st team All-American, 2009 1st Team All-Big 12,
Career statistics: 191 catches, 2,778 yards (best in MU history),22 touchdowns
Rushing: 11 attempts, 59 yards, 5.4 avg.
Jeremy Maclin: Kirkwood, MO - 4-star recruit
3-year player: 2-time Consensus 1st team All-American, 2-time 1st team All-Big 12, 2008 Biletnikoff Award finalist, drafted 19th overall in 2009 NFL Draft
Career statistics: 182 catches, 2,315 yards, 12.7 avg., 22 touchdowns
Rushing: 91 attempts, 668 yards, 7.3 avg., 6 touchdowns
Passing: 1 completion, 2 attempts, 0 yards, 1 interception
Returns: 85 KR, 2,049 yards, 24.1 avg., 2 touchdowns,
80 PR, 577 yards, 7.2 avg., 3 touchdowns
Jared Perry: La Marque, TX - 3-star recruit
5-year player
Career statistics: 137 catches, 1,844 yards, 13.5 avg., 13 touchdowns
Rushing: 12 attempts, 49 yards, 4.1 avg.
LaRoderick Thomas: Dallas, TX - 2-star recruit
Left program after three seasons
Career statistics: Originally started at corner before moving to WR. No statistics recorded.
Verdict: What can you possibly say about this class? Maclin set the school single season record for catches and receiving yards in 2008 only to have both of those records topped by Alexander in 2009. Alexander's senior year totals of 113 catches, 1,781 yards, and 14 touchdowns are mind-boggling.
Meanwhile, Maclin is Mizzou's all-purpose yardage leader and has the two best all-purpose yardage seasons in school history. He's in the top 10 in nearly every receiving category despite playing just two seasons.
Jared Perry, while not on Maclin or Alexander's level, also had a great career for Mizzou. Perry ranks 9th in school history in receiving yardage. This class of receivers is easily the best in Mizzou history and will likely never be equalled.
2007
Kendall Irving: Arlington, TX - 2-star recruit
Left program during his first year
Career statistics: 0 games
Rolandis Woodland was originally signed in this class.
Verdict: While 2007 was an extremely successful year for wide receivers on the field for Missouri, it was equally unsuccessful in recruiting. Woodland had to go to prep school and Irving never played a down for the Tigers.
2008
Jerrell Jackson: Houston, TX - 2-star recruit
4-year player
Career statistics: 113 catches, 1,434 yards, 12.7 avg., 6 touchdowns
Rushing: 19 attempts, 132 yards, 6.9 avg., 2 touchdowns
Returns: 7 KR, 144 yards, 20.6 avg.
Wes Kemp: St. Louis, MO - 3-star recruit
4-year player
Career statistics: 92 catches, 1,222 yards, 13.3 avg., 11 touchdowns
Rushing: 2 attempts, 8 yards
Returns: 7 KR, 151 yards, 21.6 avg.
Gahn McGaffie: Galena Park, TX - 3-star recruit
5-year player
Career statistics: 42 catches, 324 yards, 7.7 avg.
Returns: 7 KR, 198 yards, 28.2 avg., 1 touchdown
Rolandis Woodland: Fenton, MO - 3-star recruit
5-year player
Career statistics: 11 catches, 139 yards, 12.6 avg.
Verdict: A good but not great class in 2008. Kemp and Jackson were productive and reliable staples in the Mizzou offense for years but never earned all-conference honors, although Jackson has earned his way onto an NFL roster. McGaffie will ultimately be remembered for a certain kick return in 2010. Woodland never made the impact some fans expected.
2009
Jaleel Clark: Allentown, PA - 3-star recruit
Still in program
Career statistics: 1 catch, 6 yards
Special Teams: 25 tackles
T.J. Moe: O'Fallon, MO - 3-star recruit
4-year player; 2010 All-Big 12 2nd team, 2011 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention
Career statistics: 188 catches, 2,101 yards, 11.2 avg., 11 touchdowns
Rushing: 30 attempts, 168 yards, 5.6 avg., 1 touchdown
Passing: 2 completions, 5 attempts, 71 yards, 1 touchdown
Returns: 34 KR, 793 yards, 23.3 avg., 24 PR, 50 yards, 2.0 avg.
Kerwin Stricker: Washington, MO - 3-star recruit
Left program after four seasons
Career statistics: none
L'Damian Washington: Shreveport, LA - 2-star recruit
Still in program
Career statistics: 50 catches, 842 yards, 16.8 avg., 5 touchdowns
Rushing: 3 attempts, 5 yards
Verdict: This class is undoubtedly a success thanks to Moe and Washington. Moe ranks 5th in MU history in receptions and 8th in receiving yards and will not soon be forgotten in Columbia. Washington has gone from an unknown on signing day to a consistent contributor with still a year left in his career.
2010
Jimmie Hunt: Cahokia, IL - 4-star recruit
Still in program
Career statistics: 12 catches, 253 yards, 21.1 avg., 4 touchdowns
Rushing: 4 attempts, 28 yards, 7.0 avg.
Returns: 7 KR, 168 yards, 24 avg., 1 touchdown
Marcus Lucas: Liberty, MO - 4-star recruit
Still in program
Career statistics: 72 catches, 948 yards, 13.2 avg., 8 touchdowns
Bud Sasser: Denton, TX - 3-star recruit
Still in program
Career statistics: 13 catches, 247 yards, 1 touchdown
Verdict: This class is beginning to live up to the signing day hype it received. Marcus Lucas has been solid in his three-year career, Jimmie Hunt has proven to be electric when given a chance and Bud Sasser showed flashes of playmaking ability last season. Look for these guys to stand out in 2013.
2011
Brandon Hannah: St. Louis, MO - 3-star recruit
Never enrolled at Missouri
Career stats: none
Wesley Leftwich: Columbia, MO - 3-star recruit
Still in program
Career statistics: No statistics
Verdict: While there is still time for Leftwich to make an impact, the fact that Hannah never made it to campus is disappointing.
2012
Dorial Green-Beckham: Springfield, MO - 5-star recruit
Still in program
Career statistics: 28 catches, 395 yards, 14.1 avg., 5 touchdowns
Rushing: 5 attempts, 16 yards, 3.2 avg.
Verdict: Winning the DGB recruiting battle alone makes this class a tremendous success. With his freshman season under his belt, the sky is the limit for 2012's no. 1 recruit. This class is also bolstered by the addition of Texas transfer Darius White, a former 4-star recruit.
2013
J'Mon Moore: Missouri City, TX - 3-star recruit
Still in high school
Career statistics: n/a
Verdict: Mizzou coaches missed on a few other receivers in 2013 but believe they landed a good one in Texas-product J'Mon Moore.
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