The next crop of under-the-radar talent took center stage Friday in San Antonio.
Two underclassmen quarterbacks headlined Missouri targets at the Navy All-American Bowl National Combine, as Brady Quinn (Class of 2028) and Braylen Warren (Class of 2027) shined among the top signal callers who competed this past week.
But among the group of recruits in attendance, a handful have spoken with the Tigers or taken trips to Columbia for unofficial visits and camps. Here were a few in attendance with connections to the Tigers.
Missouri offered McKinley in May, but there's a contingent of Power Four programs after him: Florida, LSU, Oklahoma and Tennessee. His older brother is Dominick McKinley, a five-star LSU signee in the Class of 2024.
"(Dominick) helped me to learn how to take everything and enjoy the process of recruitment and to take as much visits as you need to see what is actually home to you and what feels good to you," Darryus said.
According to national recruiting director Adam Gorney, LSU has a lead on the field, as the McKinley brothers have at least one season to play together at the next level.
The Tigers haven't offered Tedrick Lee, but assistant director of defensive player personnel Christian Heinz has established communication with the Class of 2026 three-star safety.
"I definitely look forward to building a relationship with him and the Mizzou family as well," said Lee, who last heard from Heinz in late December.
Matching up with the receivers on Friday, Lee looked confident. In the weeks leading up to the Combine, he worked on his technique, displaying patience and ability to stick to the receiver's hip in one-on-one competition.
Lee doesn't have any visits scheduled while Junior Days are in full swing. His attention turned to his wrestling season, with the goal of winning a state title in Florida for Miami (Fla.) Columbus.
Missouri invited Class of 2026 pro-style quarterback Skyler Moorman to Columbia for a camp this past summer. He continued his busy schedule with a trip to the Combine, catching attention with his throwing ability while admitting he could improve in the combine drills.
During his visit to throw in front of the Tigers in June, Moorman spoke with offensive analyst Andy Belluomini, but he hasn't heard from the program since. He's spoken with other schools about Junior Day visits in the next two months.
Wesley Tapp first visited Missouri two years ago for a summer football camp. He received words of advice and leadership from head coach Eli Drinkwitz, whose staff invited Tapp back to campus in November for the season-finale against Arkansas.
"He challenged me to spend 20 minutes every day consistently in developing my skill as a quarterback," Tapp said. "From the day I met with him, I have put this into practice and not forgotten his words of wisdom."
Tapp received feedback on how to improve his footwork and stance when delivery the ball from Palestine (Tex.) Westwood coach Anthony Wood at the Combine. The 6-foot-5, 203-pound signal caller excelled at delivering his passes with accuracy and consistency.
As wide receivers coach Jacob Peeler found a top pass-catcher from Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy in the Class of 2025, he also came across Class of 2027 athlete Liam Carroll.
Peeler spoke with Carroll about how IMG Academy will prepare him for the next level, as Rivals250 wide receiver and Tigers signee Donovan Olugbode is poised to be a contributor in the SEC.
"I've talked to Donovan Olugbode a couple times about Mizzou and why it was the place to be," Carroll said. "He said the coaching staff was the right fit and it felt like home."
At the Combine, Carroll found separation and created opportunities for the quarterbacks, while looking to improve on the top of his routes, speed off the ball and physicality.
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