Peat talks about his first offer
When Nathaniel Peat got a call from A.J. Ofodile, his former high school coach, he had no idea what to expect.
It turned out his former coach, who was hired as recruiting director for Missouri this spring, was calling to offer the 5-foot-8 rising sophomore him his first college scholarship to the hometown Tigers.
“He kind of set it up,” Peat told PowerMizzou.com. “He was talking to me about how I was doing well at the Mizzou camp and how I’ve really been progressing and then he said I had an offer.”
Peat split time last year between the Rock Bridge High School freshman and junior varsity teams but will likely be the Bruins' top varsity tailback this season after the team lost a pair of seniors to graduation.
Despite having three high school seasons left to play, it's no surprise the Tigers offered a local prospect this early given Peat’s measurables and bloodline. He runs the 40-yard dash in 4.57 seconds and has a 38-inch vertical. He thinks he’ll likely grow to around 6-feet tall and his parents both ran track at Wisconsin.
“I know how to find a hole and hit it quick,” he said. “I’m very elusive and hard to catch.”
Peat’s recruitment is still in its early stages but he’s already received some interest from Kansas, Northern Illinois and North Carolina State, which are all programs that have ties to Rock Bridge.
Since he’s a Columbia native, Peat grew up watching Missouri and is very familiar with the Tiger program. He said he’s already comfortable with the program since he has a prior relationship with Ofodile.
“I watch a lot of their games,” he said. “I like their style of play and all that.”
Peat has no plans to take any unofficial visits or pick up the recruiting process any time soon. He does plan to attend every Missouri home game this season. He’s currently thinking about majoring in physical therapy or athletic training.
PowerMizzou.com will continue to follow the recruitment of Peat over the coming years and will provide updates whenever they are available.