Five-Star Challenge Preview

BALTIMORE -- The Rivals Five-Star Challenge presented by Under Armour kicks off today as participants report for Media Day. Below PowerMizzou takes a look at the players that Tiger fans should know about heading in to the three day event.

Alex Ofodile, WR, Columbia (Mo.) Hickman: The top ranked player from the state of Missouri is looking to prove himself against the top players in the country. Ofodile told PowerMizzou that he has been training against college defensive backs in perpetration for the step up in competition.

On the recruiting trail, Ofodile has pushed back his planned decision until later in the summer at the earliest. He recently took visits to Kentucky and Ole Miss and his list appears to be growing now instead of shrinking. Mizzou is still in the thick of Ofodile's recruitment, but momentum does seem to be moving away from the Tigers at this point. Can they get themselves back as the team to beat is the question of the summer.

George Brown, OL, Cincinnati (Ohio) Winton Woods: Brown recently visited Mizzou and came away from the trip very impressed. He already is planning a return trip for during the season to see the Tigers play in person. With a planned announcement date of October 28, Brown says he will start to trim his list down during the summer and at this point it seems safe to say that Mizzou will make the cut.

Miles Boykin, WR, New Lennox (Ill.) Providence Catholic: Boykin recently released a top ten of Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon and Virginia Tech. It is a diverse list of blue bloods and regional programs. Boykin has an unofficial visit scheduled to Mizzou for June 13, which puts him in Columbia during the second team camp. Tiger commit Drew Lock will make an appearance in Columbia while Boykin is in town to assist in the recruiting effort.

Kirk Merritt, WR, Destrehan (La.): Merritt picked up a Mizzou offer earlier in the spring, adding to his collection of 20 plus. He has maintained he is wide open to all the schools recruiting him right now, with summer visits paling a big part. PowerMizzou will find out this weekend if Mizzou has a chance to be one of those schools.

Kendall Sheffield, CB, Missouri City (Texas) Fort Bend Marshall: Sheffield was a teammate of current Missouri Tiger as a sophomore at Fort Bend Marshall. The Tigers are hoping to take advantage of that connection to get the #3 ranked Texas prospect, #5 ranked cornerback and the #33 ranked player overall in for a visit. At this point, Sheffield is saying that all the schools recruiting him are even and that he is working to build relationships with them all. He has previously visited LSU, Baylor, Texas and Texas A&M. He plans to announce his commitment at the Under Armour All-American game.

Russell Ude, DE, Atlanta (Ga.) Westminster: The Atlanta defensive end does not hold a Mizzou offer at this point, but that could change soon. With over 30 offers, Ude is getting close to narrowing his list down, so the Tigers can not afford to take much more time in deciding to offer. Ude is the #14 ranked player in Georgia, #9 ranked defensive end and #99 ranked player overall.

CeCe Jefferson, DE, Glen St. Mary (Fla.) Baker County: The #2 ranked defensive end in the country is definitely a long shot for the Tigers, but you can not land players you do not recruit. Mizzou has thrown its hat in the ring with an offer along with almost every other major program in the country.

Jashon Cornell, DE, Saint Paul (Minn.) Cretin-Derham Hall: Cornell visited Mizzou last year for the Tigers Black and Gold Spring Game, but has not shown much interest since. The fact that he has been to Columbia and seen Mizzou in person already could allow Missouri the chance to use that familiarity to get back involved with #6 ranked defensive end, but it does seem like a long shot at this point. Ohio State and Michigan State look to be the leaders at this point. Cornell said recently he will release a new list soon.