Top 10 of the 2010s: Recruits
Over the next five days, the last of the 2010’s, we will take a look back at some of the highlights of the last decade for Mizzou fans. If you’re one of those that wants to tell us the decade doesn’t end until next year, save these stories for 365 days and come back to them. Today, we’ll continue our look back with our list of the top ten Tiger recruits over the last ten years. This list was judged on the impact at the time of signing, not based on their careers at Mizzou.
10. Jeremiah Tilmon, Class of 2017
Tilmon had signed an LOI with Illinois, but asked for and received his release to become a part of Cuonzo Martin's first class at Mizzou.
9. Shane Ray, Class of 2011
Ray committed to Missouri initiallly before taking an official visit to Notre Dame late. The Tigers managed to hold on to the commitment and ended up with a key cog in back-to-back SEC Championship game appearances.
8. Jontay Porter, Class of 2017
Initially viewed as a big head start on the 2018 class, Jontay reclassified to the 2017 class and turned in an excellent one year at Missouri. He was the lesser known brother at the time of his commitment, but ended up as the top contributor in the family in Mizzou's return to the NCAA Tournament.
7. James Franklin, Class of 2010
Out-of-state four-stars aren't all that common at Mizzou. Franklin committed to the Tigers during the spring and never wavered before becoming one of the top signal callers in school history.
6. Evan Boehm, Class of 2012
One of the most pursued players in the state, Boehm committed to Missouri, opened things up for a visit to Auburn and eventually signed with the Tigers before becoming a four-year starter.
5. Terry Beckner, Jr., Class of 2015
A national recruit and one of the top four-stars in the country, Beckner signed with the Tigers over a who's who list of schools, persevered through two knee injuries and became one of the Tigers' defensive stalwarts during his time in CoMo.
4. Drew Lock, Class of 2015
As decorated as he was by the end of his career, Lock might have been even more important at the time of his commitment. Missouri fought off the likes of Oklahoma, Tennessee and Michigan to sign the in-state legacy who would be a four-year starter at quarterback.
3. Sheldon Richardson, Class of 2011
In perhaps the longest running recruitment in Mizzou history, the Tigers signed Richardson out of high school then stuck with him through two years and multiple flirtations in junior college. He turned into an all-SEC player in 2012 and a first-round NFL Draft selection.
2. Dorial Green-Beckham, Class of 2012
While it didn't end well, the signing of DGB can't be overstated. In the days before social media announcements became commonplace, Tiger fans held their breath waiting for the nation's top prospect to announce his decision on National Signing Day in 2012. DGB chose the Tigers over Arkansas and Oklahoma (where he would, ironically, end his college career while redshirting). It was the single biggest signing of Gary Pinkel's 15 years at Mizzou.
1. Michael Porter, Jr., Class of 2017
Take the DGB recruitment and multiply it. Porter had signed with Washington, but asked out of his LOI when Lorenzo Romar was fired. Coming off the worst three years in decades (if not school history), Mizzou's signing of Porter immediately put the program in the national conversation and the minds of top recruits across the country. While his college career amounted to but a footnote, the signing was without a doubt the most influential in the last ten years...if not the last 35.