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 wrap up our "Recruiting Rewind" series with a look at the offensive linemen.
Missouri's identity under Gary Pinkel has been productive offensive play. Any coach will tell you a good offense starts with good line play. While Missouri has produced several productive offensive lineman in Pinkel's career, the Tigers have never produced a national star the way it has at other offensive positions.
Sure, there have been great players like Tony Palmer, Adam Spieker, Tim Barnes, and Dan Hoch. But of the 43 offensive linemen Pinkel has signed, just four have earned 1st-team All-Conference honors.
Part of that is recruiting. The Tigers have signed just six 4-star recruits up front and nine 2-star prospects. On the bright side, Mizzou has had success with several walk-on linemen. Colin Brown walked on in 2004 and was eventually drafted in the fifth round of the NFL Draft. More recently, Max Copeland earned a scholarship after walking on in 2009.
2001
Tony Palmer: Midwest City, OK - no recruiting rankings available
5-year player
3-time All-Big 12 (1st-team in 2005), drafted in the 7th round of the 2006 NFL Draft by St. Louis.
Jason Rhodes: Kansas City, MO - no recruiting rankings available
Left program after two seasons
Verdict: Pinkel only brought in two offensive linemen in his initial recruiting class but landed a great one in Palmer. Palmer started the final eight games of his redshirt freshman season and never looked back. He finished his career as a team captain, 1st-team All-Big 12, and stuck around the NFL for a few seasons.
2002
Howard Brissette: Rancho Cucamonga, CA - 4-star recruit
3-year player (recruited from junior college)
No games played
Joel Clinger: Warrenton, MO - 3-star recruit
5-year player
2006 1st-team All-Big 12, 2005 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention
Mike Cook: Friendswood, TX - 2-star recruit
5-year player
2-year starter, 2006 team captain
Steven Sanchez: Visalia, CA - 3-star recruit
2-year player (recruited from junior college)
Six career starts
Phillip Tizzio: Moore, OK - 2-star recruit
Left program after one season
Verdict: Mizzou loaded up on offensive linemen in '02 and received varying results. Clinger led the way earning 1st-team All-Conference honors as a senior. On the down side, two of the signees never made an impact for the Tigers.
2003
Tyler Luellen: Bethany, MO - 4-star recruit
5-year player
42 career starts
M.J. Norman: Eureka, MO - 3-star recruit
Left program after one season
Marty Raab: Eureka, MO - 3-star recruit
Left program after one season
Adam Spieker: Webb City, MO - 3-star recruit
5-year player
2007 Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year, 1st-team All-Big 12, 2005 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention, Mizzou record 50 career starts
Monte Wyrick: Texarkana, AR - 2-star recruit
5-year player
10 career starts
Verdict: Pinkel and co. landed a big recruit in Luellen and he turned into a reliable starter for the Tigers. However, Spieker steals the show for this group as he set a school record starting 50 consecutive games in his career (This record is shared by Martin Rucker and Carl Gettis.) Spieker is also the only Missouri player to win the Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year award.
2004
John Dirk: Stephenville, TX - 2-star recruit
Left program after two seasons
Kyle Riggs: Festus, MO - 4-star recruit
Left program after four seasons
No games played
Aaron Saunders: San Antonio, TX - 2-star recruit
Left program after two seasons
No games played
Verdict: Of the linemen Missouri signed, none of them made an impact. However, this class wasn't a complete bust thanks to walk-on Colin Brown. Brown walked-on in 2004 and ended up earning a scholarship, twice earning Big 12 Honorable Mention honors, and eventually earning his way into the NFL after being selected in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft.
2005
Kurtis Gregory: Blackburn, MO - 3-star recruit
5-year player
2-time 2nd-team All-Big 12, 41 career starts
Louis Pintola: Pasadena, CA - 3-star recruit
2-year player (recruited from junior college)
Appeared in eight games in his career
Matt Russell: Fairfield, CA - 3-star recruit
Left program after one season (recruited from junior college)
Appeared in two games
James Stigall: Blue Springs, MO - 3-star recruit
Left program after four seasons
Appeared in 10 games
Dain Wise: Midwest City, OK - 3-star recruit
Left program after four seasons
Appeared in 19 games
Verdict: Kurtis Gregory saves this class and he was originally recruited as a defensive lineman for Mizzou. He ended up being one of the best and most consistent offensive linemen in the Pinkel era.
2006
Tim Barnes: Hughesville, MO - 3-star recruit
5-year player
2010 1st-team All-Big 12, 2008 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention, 40 career starts
Jesse Hernandez: Ardmore, OK - 2-star recruit
Left program after two seasons
Mike Prince: Southlake, TX - 2-star recruit
Left program after four seasons
Verdict: This class starts and ends with Tim Barnes. He held down Missouri's center position for four years, consistently proving to be one of the Big 12's best. After leading the line on some of the most productive offenses in Tiger history, Barnes has caught on in the NFL with the St. Louis Rams.
2007
J.T. Beasley: Dyersburg, TN - 3-star recruit
Left program after three seasons
Elvis Fisher: St. Petersburg, FL - 3-star recruit
6-year player
2010 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention, 49 career starts
Jayson Palmgren: Kansas City, MO - 3-star recruit
5-year player
2011 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention, 26 career starts
Austin Wuebbels: Troy, IL - 3-star recruit
5-year player
2-time All-Big 12 Honorable Mention, 38 career starts
Verdict: Missouri got great production from this class. The three players that exhausted their eligibility with the Tigers started a total of 113 games. Fisher likely would have earned more all-conference honors had injuries not derailed his 2011 season.
2008
Taylor Davis: Plano, TX - 3-star recruit
Left program after three seasons
No games played
Dan Hoch: Harlan, IA - 4-star recruit
4-year player
3-time All-Big 12 Honorable Mention, 39 career starts
Daniel Jenkins: Gilmer, TX - 3-star recruit
Left the program after three seasons
No games played
Verdict: Mizzou missed on Davis and Jenkins but landed a great one in Hoch. He became the first offensive lineman to play as a true freshman under Pinkel. He went on to appear in all 53 games in his career, starting the final 39.
2009
Justin Britt: Lebanon, MO - 2-star recruit
Still in program
22 career starts
Chris Freeman: Trotwood, OH - 3-star recruit
Still in program
Appeared in five games
Mark Hill: Branson, MO - 2-star recruit
Left program
Jack Meiners: St. Louis, MO - 3-star recruit
4-year player
10 career starts
Verdict: Initially, Meiners appeared to be the star in this group. He became just the second O-lineman to earn playing time as a true freshman in the Pinkel era. He seemed ready to break out as a senior but his season was cut short by injuries. Britt has grown from a little-known recruit to a staple on Mizzou line but is also battling injuries. Also, an unknown player by the name of Max Copeland walked-on with this class. By 2012 he was a scholarship player and starter in 11 games.
2010
Nick Demien: Wentzville, MO - 4-star recruit
Still in program
Appeared in three games
Anthony Gatti: St. Louis, MO - 3-star recruit
Still in program
Appeared in 12 games
Mitch Morse: Austin, TX - 3-star recruit
Still in program
11 career starts (all in 2012)
Verdict: This class was supposed to be the new wave of star linemen for Missouri, headlined by Demien. Instead it's been Morse who has contributed the most, starting 11 games as a redshirt sophomore in 2012.
2011
Michael Boddie: Gilmer, TX - 3-star recruit
Still in program
Appeared in two games
Taylor Chappell: Canadien, TX - 3-star recruit
Still in program
No games played
Connor McGovern: Fargo, ND - 3-star recruit
Still in program
Appeared in nine games
Verdict: With questions along Missouri's line entering 2013, this group will be expected to make an impact. McGovern appears to have an inside track to playing time after appearing in nine games in 2012.
2012
Evan Boehm: Lee's Summit, MO - 4-star recruit
Still in program
12 career starts
Jordan Williams: Denton, TX - 3-star recruit
Still in program
Verdict: DGB stole the headlines of Mizzou's 2012 class, but you could argue that Boehm was perhaps Missouri's most important recruit. He stepped in as a true freshman and started every game in 2012. He will likely be one of the SEC's top lineman by the time his career is over.
2013
Alec Abeln: St. Louis, MO - 3-star recruit
Still in high school
Harneet Gill: St. Charles, MO - 3-star recruit
Still in high school
Clay Rhodes: Stilwell, KS - 3-star recruit
Still in high school
Verdict: Missouri added three local linemen in hopes of adding depth to an injury-plagued line. Rhodes is probably the most heralded recruit, turning down offers from Oklahoma and Nebraska among others.
 ...More... To continue reading this article you must be a member. Sign Up Now for a FREE Trial |
