Sean Weatherspoon kept putting his alma mater on a pedestal, so when his rising players received their first offers, it was a nice coincidence.

As Missouri defensive line coach Al Davis toured Atlanta (Ga.) Pace Academy on Friday, he spoke to a group of prospective athletes, including Jaydon Avery, who turned his focus to football this offseason.

Davis immediately took note of Avery's 6-foot-4, 185-pound frame. He snapped a photo of the Class of 2026 defensive back and sent it to the coaches back on campus. Avery left the meeting with Davis, and 10 or 15 minutes later, Weatherspoon called Avery with news that Missouri offered him.

"I was like, 'Wow,'" Avery said. "I just couldn't believe it at first. ... It was the right time and right coach, and I guess he took a chance on me."

Avery, who was a basketball recruit up until this winter, has worked with the new Pace Academy football staff on getting up to speed to play cornerback this season. He last played the sport in middle school, but he acknowledged the long road ahead.

"They've just been riding for me, telling the coaches that they know I'm a steal in Georgia," Avery said. "I've always been a hard worker no matter what. ... Although I know it's my senior year coming up, I just have my head down. I trust my coaches enough, and I've just been working."

Avery embarked on this transition with his close friend and teammate Brian Clark II, who also received an offer this past week. The two also now play in a secondary with Rivals250 defensive back Adryan Cole, a major help in their transition.

"It's been comforting having my teammate with me from my basketball years," Avery said, "and also just being able to watch Adryan, just learning from him, has been great."

Along with Clark, Avery visited Georgia Tech for its spring game in April. He's now scheduled camp trips with Florida Atlantic, Virginia and Missouri, which will host Clark and Avery on June 5.

"I haven't played a snap of a game in high school, so just going these camps be huge for me to showcase my skills in front of coaches," Avery said. "Almost all of June, almost all of July, we're going to a lot of camps, putting myself out there."

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