The third piece of Dennis Gates' 2023 recruiting class fell into place Wednesday afternoon. South Carolina big man Jordan Butler just announced his commitment to Mizzou moments ago.
Butler is a 6-foot-10 forward who visited Missouri in September. He chose the Tigers over South Carolina and Auburn.
""They really like my versatility and how skilled I am," Butler said after his official visit. "I can guard multiple positions on defense and I can dribble and shoot."
"Jordan Butler's an interesting type because he does so many things so well," Rivals.com national basketball analyst Rob Cassidy said. "I think what pops off the page is his size combined with his hands. He's not the big that's going to fumble around with entry passes or on the glass; he's really sure-handed. He creates extra possessions because of it."
Butler's main connection to Mizzou is associate head coach C.Y. Young, who signed Butler's older brother at Florida State.
"I’ve always been close to coach C.Y. because of my brother," Butler said.
Butler is ranked as the nation's No. 102 prospect in the 2023 class.
"The most impressive new thing in his game is his ability to shoot the ball from deep," Cassidy said. "He can knock down an open three pointer and that allows him to really space the floor. He's got to work on his body, he's got to work on becoming a better defender I think. He'll become a better shot blocker down the road.
"As he gets stronger I think you'll see all facets of his game improve, especially scoring on the low block. But he moves well and his hands are great and a lot of the things that you can't coach are there in spades, which is encouraging for Missouri. He's the type of player that should stick around and in a year or two could become an all-SEC type. He's got those kinds of tools."
He joins forward Trent Pierce and point guard Anthony Robinson on the Tigers' list of verbal commitments. All three are members of the Class of 2023 Rivals150. The early signing period opens on November 9th. All three current commitments are expected to sign during the early period.
PowerMizzou.com will be in touch with Butler soon for more about why he chose Missouri.
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