7 Missouri Stars SEC Powers Missed in the Recruiting Cycle
Missouri burst onto the scene in its second year in the SEC, posting an 11-1 regular-season record and coming within a quarter of winning the SEC title and perhaps earning a berth into the BCS National Championship Game.
This year, it's more of the same.
Missouri has jumped out to a 3-0 record using the same recipe it was successful with last year, spreading the ball around to a variety of wide receivers, punishing opponents with a diverse running game and generating pressure with a relentless pass rush.
It's been more with the X's and O's than the Jimmy's and the Joe's.
Missouri's average recruiting class rank over the last five years is 38.2, with its best class over that time being ranked 21st in the country (2010). Who are some of the stars of this Missouri team that SEC programs missed on the recruiting trail?
Our picks are in this slideshow.
Wide Receiver Bud Sasser
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Remember when Missouri had a "wide receiver problem?"
Bud Sasser doesn't.
The 6'2", 210-pound senior has picked up right where L'Damian Washington, Dorial Green-Beckham and Marcus Lucas left off, hauling in 12 passes for 215 yards and four touchdowns for the Tigers.
Unlike his predecessors—namely DGB—this kind of production wasn't expected.
Sasser was a 3-star prospect in 2010 out of Denton, Texas—a state that SEC schools recruited even before conference expansion opened the doors further—and had a grand total of zero SEC offers (Missouri was a member of the Big 12 at the time).
Whoops.
Sasser's ability to take coaching is a big reason why the passing game has picked up right where it left off.
“Coach Pinkel instills [discipline] into each and every one of us as soon as we step on campus," he said according to MUTigers.com. "It starts off the field and it goes into our game knowing your assignments and what you’re supposed to be doing and not hurting the team in any type of way.”
Not bad for a player who flew completely under the SEC radar.
Running Back Russell Hansbrough
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All Russell Hansbrough has done during his junior season is pick up right where former running back Henry Josey left off, carrying the ball 47 times for 258 yards and two touchdowns as the "1A" back alongside speedster "1B" Marcus Murphy.
He could have been somewhere else in the SEC.
The Arlington, Texas native had offers from several Big 12 schools in 2012, but only one offer from an SEC school—Auburn.
First of all, can you imagine Hansbrough in the Auburn backfield this year with Cameron Artis-Payne, Nick Marshall and Corey Grant? Secondly, where was everybody else?
SEC schools and recruiting services missed on the 3-star recruit, who has proven over the last year-plus as a backup and a starter that he has big-play ability and the toughness to take the punishment.
Strong Safety Braylon Webb
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It wasn't just SEC schools that overlooked Missouri starting strong safety Braylon Webb—pretty much everybody did.
The 6'0", 200-pound senior was a 3-star prospect in 2010 who flew very much under the radar in Gilmer, Texas. With Houston being his only other major offer, Webb chose the Tigers and has been an impact player during Missouri's run to SEC prominence.
He had three interceptions and finished second on the team with 89 tackles a year ago, and he has picked up right where he left off with 16 tackles and a pick through three games this year.
He has emerged as one of the leaders of the defense—something he takes pride in, according to MUTigers.com.
"Just being more vocal is the most important thing, making sure we are all on the same page," Webb said. "I have confidence in these guys, they all had pretty good years last season and they all know what their role is."
He's a big reason Missouri's defense has picked up right where it left off last season, capitalizing off pressure and putting the offense in good field position.
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Wide Receiver Darius White
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SEC schools didn't initially lose Darius White to Missouri, they lost him to Texas.
The 6'3", 205-pound redshirt senior from Fort Worth, Texas signed and enrolled at the University of Texas in 2010 as a 5-star prospect, with offers from several SEC schools including Auburn, Florida and Texas A&M—then of the Big 12 (according to Rivals.com).
Things didn't work out in Austin. He transferred to Missouri prior to the 2012 season and has finally lived up to the hype this year.
As the starting "Z" receiver, White has 10 catches on the season for 179 yards and three touchdowns for the Tigers. With Bud Sasser earning most of the attention from opposing secondaries, White has had a field day creating mismatches against undersized cornerbacks.
In a year that is littered with quarterback transitions around the conference, a guy like White would have been a huge asset to several SEC schools.
Tight End Sean Culkin
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Sean Culkin isn't exactly a star for Missouri, but it might not stay that way for long.
The 6'6", 245-pound sophomore for the Tigers signed in 2012 with only two other FBS offers—Iowa State and Rutgers.
That's strange considering the former 3-star prospect was in a hotbed of talent in Largo, Florida, with recruiters all over the place looking for "the next big thing."
Culkin tops the depth chart at tight end for head coach Gary Pinkel's Tigers, has three catches for 41 yards on the season and is a big piece of the puzzle as a blocker as well.
“(Culkin) made some really good catches, and we used him in the running game," Pinkel told the Kansas City Star's Tod Palmer after the second game of the season. "That adds a different variety to our offense and allows us to do some different things. We certainly plan on using him.”
More options? In an offense that is already diverse and well-versed in using all of its pieces? That's scary.
Cornerback John Gibson
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Missouri had to replace two starters at corner, and one player who has stepped in nicely for the Tigers is sophomore John Gibson.
Gibson doesn't have a pick yet this year (he had one as a freshman), but he does have six tackles and has broken up three passes. Not bad for a former 3-star prospect who was ranked 979th in the country in the 247Sports.com composite. Gibson's only other SEC offer was from Arkansas, and the Missouri City, Texas native also had an offer from Indiana—this week's opponent for the Tigers.
Missouri is giving up 6.3 yards per attempt, which is tied for the fifth-best mark in the SEC. Gibson's ability to transition into a starting role has been incredibly helpful for a defense that needed to find consistency in a spot that is critical to the defense.
He also has potential on special teams. He had two kickoff returns for 77 yards last season and is listed behind running back Marcus Murphy on the depth chart as Missouri's kick returner this season.
Quarterback Maty Mauk
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At Kenton (Ohio) High School, Maty Mauk broke national records for passing yards (18,932), touchdown passes (219), pass completions (1,353) and total offense (22,681) according to his bio on Missouri's website.
What did that earn him? One offer from an SEC school not named "Missouri." That school was Vanderbilt.
Mauk proved to be a big-play quarterback in place of James Franklin last season, throwing for 1,071 yards and 11 touchdowns as a redshirt freshman. There was a problem, though. He completed just 51.1 percent of his passes with an all-world stable of receivers to rely on.
No problem.
All he's done as a redshirt sophomore in 2014 is toss 12 touchdown passes, only three picks and upped his completion percentage to 62.3 percent.
“Wait until he gets good," head coach Gary Pinkel said after the win over UCF, according to MUTigers.com. "There are a lot of things out there that he can do to improve and he knows that. He’s a great, gamey player, he can make plays, he does those things and he’s got some players making some plays for him. But he can get considerably better.”
A true dual-threat weapon with a rocket for an arm and incredible understanding of the game, Mauk has proven that he's not only an SEC-caliber quarterback, but that he's one of the best quarterbacks in the SEC and nation.
Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and video analyst for Bleacher Report and co-host of the CFB Hangover on Bleacher Report Radio (Sundays, 9-11 a.m. ET) on Sirius 93, XM 208.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of cfbstats.com, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
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