Missouri Football: Latest Summer News and Recruiting Updates

We are less than three months away from the Missouri Tigers kicking off their inaugural season in the SEC. They return a lot of playmakers on both sides of the ball and could really be a surprise team in the toughest conference in college football.

But one way to remain competitive in the SEC is to recruit well. So far, the Tigers have received early commitments from 13 players for the 2013 class, including a handful that are 4-stars or better.

With the college football regular season quickly approaching, here are some of the latest updates on the Missouri Tigers and the 2013 recruiting process.

Monty Nelson Likes Missouri

The Tigers have been criticized for the lack of size on the offensive and defensive lines. If you want to win in the trenches in this conference, you have to bring the big boys out on the field. That's exactly what 3-star defensive tackle Monty Nelson is at 6'2", 320 pounds. He is also somebody who gets off the ball quickly and could eventually develop into an underrated pass rusher.

While he has offers from Wisconsin, Michigan State and home schools such as South Florida, Nelson really likes Missouri and plans on stopping by soon.

“If I see some place and I like it, I would probably pull the trigger,” Said Nelson. “I think Missouri would be a great school to go to.” (Via Scout.com)

Nelson also plans to make official visits at Wisconsin and Michigan State.

Devyn Salmon Receives Offer from Tigers

Devyn Salmon is another big defensive tackle at 6'1", 285 pounds, who the Tigers are trying to land. He recently received an offer from Missouri and could not be happier about the invitation.

“The Missouri offer was big because it’s my first SEC offer,” explained Salmon. “And, growing up a Missouri fan, it's very, very big to get an offer from them.” (Via Scout.com)

He has now included the Tigers in his top five that includes schools such as Cincinnati, Miami, Michigan State and West Virginia. He expects to make a visit to Missouri later in the year and will make his official decision once he is done taking all of his officials.

Tigers Hope to Expand Stadium

When you enter into the SEC, bigger and better things are expected of your program. Missouri realizes this, which is why there are plans in the works to expand Memorial Stadium. The stadium currently holds a little over 71,000 people, which is nothing compared to Bryant-Denny Stadium which holds over 100,000 or other SEC stadiums that hold close to that amount.

The plan is to add at least 6,000 more seats, including over 5,000 bleacher seats and hundreds of premium seats. The program will also like to add more luxury suites, as well as expand the concourse at the stadium's north entrance, which would leave room for more additions in the near future.

Even with these additions, Missouri would still have one of the smaller stadiums in the conference, but it is clear it is taking the correct steps to improve its program and become one of the SEC's elite. 

Donovahn Jones Receives Offer from Tigers

As you can see in the video, Donovahn Jones is a very athletic player on the basketball court, but is the same exact way on the football field. He has received offers from schools to play quarterback, safety and recently was given an offer from Missouri to play wide receiver.

“I like Missouri,” said Jones. “I mean, I know that a lot of receivers get a chance there, like Jeremy Maclin. I could see myself playing wide receiver there.” (Via Scout.com)

Jones is from Hampton, GA, and says that he will likely checkout the Tigers sometime in July. He is somebody who has a lot of speed and is a playmaker with the ball in his hands. He also has offers from schools such as Arkansas, South Florida, Cincinnati and North Carolina State, among others.

Eric Beisel Has Tigers High on His List

Eric Beisel is listed as a 3-star linebacker out of Fenton, MO. He is a big body at 6'4", 235 pounds and is extremely athletic. He has a nose for the football, is a sure tackler and it doesn't take him long to figure out what the offense is trying to do. Beisel is somebody who can make an impact on the defensive side of the ball and the good news is he has the Tigers very high on his list.

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'I like Missouri and the whole coaching staff. I just like being around those guys.' Beisel said. ['All the guys committed, I’ve become friends with over the recruiting process. A lot of them are from the St. Louis area. I don’t give in to peer pressure, but everybody’s rooting for me to go to Mizzou.' (Via ESPN)

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Beisel is also considering Arkansas, while holding offers from Illinois and looking at Ohio State.