8/17/2023 football Edit

Highest-rated Missouri commits in the Rivals-era

Missouri sophomore wide receiver Luther Burden (Rivals.com)

Sean Williams • PowerMizzou

Recruiting Editor

On Monday, Missouri landed a massive commitment from Lee's Summit North (Mo.) five-star defensive end Williams Nwaneri, the No. 3 overall player in the 2024 recruiting class.

MORE: COMMIT ANALYSIS: WILLIAMS NWANERI | NWANERI MAKES BIG STATEMENT | DRINKWITZ DESERVES PRAISE

This isn't the first time Missouri has held the national spotlight in recruiting a national prospect.

PowerMizzou.com takes a look at the highest-rated commitments Missouri has landed in the Rivals.com era below.

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Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, 2012 Class

RANKINGS - National: No. 1; Position: No. 1; State; No. 1

Missouri's biggest splash came back in the 2012 class by landing Green-Beckham, the No. 1 overall prospect in the nation. During his two years at Missouri, the Springfield product hauled in 87 catches for 1,278 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Trouble surrounded Green-Beckham's tenure at Missouri as he was eventually dismissed by head coach Gary Pinkel after his sophomore season. Green-Beckham would transfer to Oklahoma, but never played a down for the Sooners due to transfer rules.

He was drafted by the Tennessee Titans with the 40th overall pick in the second round in the 2015 NFL Draft, however, Green-Beckham only played two seasons in the NFL with Tennessee and Philadelphia.

Luther Burden, WR, 2022 Class

RANKINGS - National: No. 4; Position: No. 1; State: No. 1

Burden was committed to Oklahoma for nearly a year before backing off his Sooners' pledge and ending up in Missouri's class. During his freshman campaign, Burden flashed his elite skillset by hauling in 45 catches for 375 yards and six touchdowns. He also had 18 rushing attempts for 88 yards and two scores. Entering his sophomore season, he's expected to be the feature piece of the offense for the Tigers.

Sheldon Richardson, DT, 2009 Class

RANKINGS - National; No. 4; Position: No. 1; State: No. 1

Richardson took a different path to Missouri than the others on this list. The No. 4 player in the 2009 class signed with the Tigers, but had to go the JUCO route out of high school before ending up on Mizzou's roster two years later. During his two seasons in Columbia, Richardson posted 112 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss, and four sacks.

Richardson became the 13th overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft by the New York Jets. He won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2013 and played nine total seasons in the NFL with the Jets, Seahawks, Vikings, and Browns.

Blaine Gabbert, QB, 2008 Class

RANKINGS - National: No. 14; Position: No. 1; State: No. 1

Gabbert was a much-heralded in-state prospect and the perfect heir-apparent to the Chase Daniel era at Missouri. The five-star spent his freshman season behind Daniel, but took over the reigns of the Tigers' offense during the 2009 and 2010 seasons where he threw for 6,779 yards with 40 touchdowns against 18 interceptions, leading the Tigers to a 10-3 record in 2010.

He was the 10th overall pick in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Gabbert is entering his 13th overall season in the NFL with stints with the Jaguars, 49ers, Cardinals, Titans, Buccaneers, and now the Chiefs.

Terry Beckner, Jr., DT, 2015 Class

RANKINGS - National: No. 36; Position: No. 5; State: No. 1

Missouri beat out Florida State, Ohio State, and Auburn for Beckner's signature in the 2015 class. Throughout his four seasons with the Tigers, Beckner totaled 120 tackles, 32 tackles for loss, 13.5 sacks, earning second-team All-SEC honors during the 2018 season.

Beckner was drafted 215th overall in the seventh round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers back in 2019. He had brief stints with the practice squads of the Bucs and Bears in 2019 and 2020. Beckner has been playing in the USFL with the Pittsburgh Maulers since 2022.