Mizzou basketball signs five in nation's No. 2 class

Mizzou head coach Dennis Gates and his staff have been red-hot on the recruiting trail this year, accumulating commitments from five Class of 2024 prospects that currently make up the No. 2 recruiting class in Rivals.com’s team rankings. The group will make it official over the next few days, as all five players are expected to ink their letters of intent during college basketball’s week-long Early Signing Period, which opens up on Wednesday.

Here’s a rundown on each commit the Tigers are adding.

UPDATE: All five players have signed their National Letters of Intent with Mizzou.

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The 6-foot-5 guard was the first member of the 2024 class to commit to Missouri, announcing his decision on June 29. Barrett confirmed to PowerMizzou.com he intends to sign this week. Barrett had a strong year playing on the Nike EYBL circuit this summer, averaging 9.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists during pool play and helping MOKAN Elite reach the quarterfinals of the Peach Jam tournament. Barrett is currently preparing for his senior season at a new school, as he’ll suit up for Link Academy for the first time this winter.

“I really look forward to being a leader of Mizzou Basketball and winning a lot of games with them,” Barrett said.

Dennis Gates on Barrett: "T.O. is a player that really fits in our program well. He embodies our eight core values and is an ultra-competitor who is a proven winner in his career. He has great size for his position plus a tremendous basketball IQ with elite decision-making skills and versatility."

Link Academy head coach Bill Armstrong: "T.O. is a tough and physical guard with good size and athleticism. He's an extremely hard worker who is going to give everything he's got every day. He is a lockdown defender who can guard multiple positions and rebounds extremely well.

"T.O. is a valuable member of our program through the mature approach he brings to every workout, every practice and every game. His effort and attitude are second to none. He's an ultimate team player who is going to help us win a lot of games and put us in a position to defend our National Championship. We are all excited about the opportunity T.O. has to move on and play for our in-state university. We feel he will bring his winning ways to the Tigers and become an ambassador for both Link Academy and Mizzou!"

Marshall told PowerMizzou.com he’ll be signing on Wednesday. Marshall initially committed to Auburn in December last year but reversed course in the spring and pledged to Missouri this summer. The 7-foot Marietta, Ga. native is currently playing for the Cold Hearts in the Overtime Elite league. Through eight preseason games, Marshall is averaging 8.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 15.2 minutes per outing.

Dennis Gates on Marshall: "Peyton is a dominant interior presence who is a great finisher and has tremendous touch around the rim. He is also a physical player and does a good job of drawing contact and capitalizing from the free-throw line. Perhaps most impressively, however, Peyton is the best passer in the 2024 class, regardless of position and school. His court vision and his ability to quarterback the team for his size is unmatched."

Kell High School head coach Jermaine Sellers: "Mizzou Nation is getting a high-character player that comes from winning. Peyton is a dominant force that plays the game the right way. He makes everyone better. He sees the floor, is vocal and sacrifices for the betterment of the team. Peyton was the cornerstone of the Kell program and led us to the 5A State Championship. Peyton will be bringing that same pedigree to THE University of Missouri! I know the Missouri staff will continue with its track record of developing bigs and make Peyton a more dominant force on both ends of the floor. Go Tigers!"

Allen made his commitment on Aug. 7 and confirmed to PowerMizzou.com he'll hold his signing ceremony on Saturday. His connection to associate head coach Charlton “C.Y.” Young, a fellow Miami native, played a large part in Allen’s recruitment. A year after helping AZ Compass Prep reach the championship game in the GEICO Nationals, along with Tigers freshman forward Trent Pierce, the 6-foot-7 forward returned to his former team, Norland High School, hoping to lead the Vikings to a state championship.

“I’m most looking forward to playing in front of the fans and the arena,” Allen said.

Dennis Gates on Allen: "Marcus will be a strong addition to our program. He has a unique build and size for his position – with measurables of a 6-11 wingspan and a hand size of 10.5" – that makes him a strong college and professional prospect. His defensive IQ is elite and will be an anchor for us on that end of the court. We've grown really close to him and his family during our time at Mizzou and are looking forward to officially welcoming him to CoMo and making him part of our community."

Norland High School head coach Lawton Williams III: "Mizzou fans are getting a high-level player and someone that's team-oriented and just wants to do anything and everything it takes to win. He loves playing defense and defending the other team's best player and that's what gets him going in a game. They should also look toward Marcus making a lot of winning plays. A player who impacts the game without the basketball."

Mizzou’s highest-ranked recruit committed to the Tigers on Sept. 22 and told PowerMizzou.com he will sign on Monday, Nov. 13. The 6-foot-5 guard played on both the Adidas 3SSB and Nike EYBL circuits and attended both the NBPA Top 100 and Adidas Eurocamp events this summer. The Arkansan will spend his senior year looking to make a deep postseason run with Little Rock High School.

Dennis Gates on Boateng: "Annor Boateng is an outstanding player and person on and off the court. We look for champions in the classroom, on the court and in the community and Annor is a perfect example of that kind of all-around student-athlete. One of the most complete guards in the country and a playmaker on both ends of the floor, Annor is physically gifted and a three-level scorer who excels in multiple facets of the game. He is also a tremendous leader and we're thrilled to welcome him to our Mizzou family."

Little Rock Central head coach Brian Ross: "Annor is one of the top two-way players in the entire country. He was the Arkansas Gatorade Player of the Year as a junior and has been a four-year starter for a perennial state title contender.

"Annor has not only been a great player for the Central Tigers, he has been an exemplary student and teammate as well. He has a 3.7 GPA while taking several AP courses each semester. He has played the saxophone in the marching band. We are excited for him to be joining the Missouri program as Coach Gates and his staff have done an amazing job in recruiting him and they have things going in the right direction up there."

Burns is the most recent Missouri pledge, announcing his decision in October. The 7-foot-2 big man averaged 6.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game playing for Houston Hoops on the Nike EYBL circuit this offseason. Burns also brings a unique ability at his size to space the floor with his outside shot. The Houston native will play at PSAT Academy during his senior season.

Dennis Gates on Burns: ""The combination of shooting and shot-blocking at Trent's height is not something easy to find. "He fits our system and our five-out offense that we want to run perfectly. Trent has also shown a lot of potential this summer and is somebody we feel like can be a sleeper of our class. His strong family values fit within our eight core values at Mizzou and we look forward to seeing the impact he will make on campus."

PSAT Academy head coach Ed Haskins: "Trent is a multi-faceted highly-skilled extremely intelligent player who has stood his ground on who he is as a player but also has the desire and flexibility to learn, grow and expand his game to be the best he can be. Trent was invaluable to our program in so many ways – a top shot blocker on the team (and conference) not to mention the number of shots he changed per game, helping guys be in the right spots offensively and defensively because of his high basketball IQ and tops in the conference and on our team in 3-point percentage, just to name a few. Has one of the highest ceilings of any player I've EVER coached in 20-plus years of coaching at multiple levels. The Tiger Nation should be EXTREMELY EXCITED about the arrival of Trent Burns!"

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