Missouri Tigers Receive Three Commitments During Recruiting Encore

For the second weekend in succession, the Missouri Tigers have made an indelible impression on the national recruiting trail.

According to Missouri's Rivals.com affiliate, Power Mizzou, the Tigers secured verbal commitments from three players over the weekend, including coveted receivers Bud Sasser (Denton, TX) and Marcus Lucas (Liberty, MO).

Sasser and Lucas each reportedly confirmed the decision to Power Mizzou via text message on Saturday.

Daniel Easterly, a 6'4" 178-pound three-star safety from the Detroit area, confirmed his commitment to the site on Friday evening.

Easterly was committed to Illinois, to whom he pledged verbally in June, but a mid-November visit to Columbia brought Missouri into the picture. Amid rumors he was planning to decommit from the Illini in favor of the Tigers, Easterly paid a visit to Champaign a week ago and didn't arrive at his ultimate decision until recently.

"It was just in the last couple days, like the past week," Easterly told Power Mizzou on Friday. "I've been talking to my brothers and my close family about it, and this is for the best."

And the list of commitments for MU's 2010 class may be growing.

Though it has yet to be confirmed by either player, defensive end Matt Hoch and defensive back Dexter McDonald each appear close to switching their verbal pledges to Missouri. The 6'5", 230-pound Hoch, who is the younger brother of MU offensive tackle Dan Hoch, is presently listed by Rivals.com as a "solid verbal" pledge to the Iowa Hawkeyes.

According to the recruiting site, McDonald, a 6'2", 180-pound cornerback from Kansas City, is currently committed to Illinois, to whom he pledged back in June.

Like Sasser and Lucas, both Hoch and McDonald were in Columbia this weekend for an official visit.

Rated by Rivals as the No. 69 wide receiver prospect in the country, Sasser recently wrapped up his senior season with 71 catches for 1,157 yards and 23 touchdowns. Prior to his commitment, Sasser had taken visits to Arizona and Nebraska and was also considering Kansas.

Provided the hype surrounding each player plays out, Sasser and Lucas highlight the class' trio of heralded receivers, which also includes four-star prospect Jimmy Hunt from Cahokia, Ill.

Widely regarded as one of the top two players in the state of Missouri, the 6'5", 195-pound Lucas was sought after by programs all over the nation.

Holding offers from at least 11 programs, Lucas paid visits to Oklahoma, Arkansas, and even Stanford, whose academic reputation had an enticing effect on the 3.7 GPA student.

As his recruitment progressed, it seemed almost a certainty that Lucas would save his decision for after the holidays, validating speculation that he was preparing to announce his suitor on national television after the Jan. 9 U.S Army All-American Bowl, a game in which he was invited to participate.

Evaluated as the 14th-best receiver in the nation, with his pledge to Missouri this weekend, Lucas is seemingly the cherry on top of a class that may end up the best ever in MU history.

Now with seven four-star commits among its 22 members, according to Rivals' ratings released Sunday, Missouri's 2010 class is ranked No. 14 in the country. That's up four slots from this time last week. Just two weeks ago, prior to MU's pair of recent weekend recruiting bonanzas, the Tigers weren't even ranked in the top 40.

(On a side note, to illustrate the discrepancies between these recruiting sites, Scout.com currently has MU's class ranked No. 28 with only three four-star prospects.)

Perhaps even more significant is that this class represents MU's improving ability to retain high-profile recruits from within the state.

Of the players considered by Rivals to be Missouri's 10 best, five are committed to Missouri, including offensive lineman Nick Demien (Wentzville), Lucas, and defensive end Kony Ealy (New Madrid), who comprise the top three, respectively.

Not since 2004, when running back Tony Temple, quarterback Chase Patton, and offensive lineman Kyle Riggs each committed to the Tigers, has Missouri landed each of the state's top three players.

Now, with the number of available scholarships presumably dwindling, it remains to be seen whether the Tigers will attempt to romance any more recruits. Toss Hoch and McDonald into the mix, and MU's class may be very close to reaching maximum capacity.

Keeston Terry, a receiver from Blue Springs, MO, who is rated as the state's No. 4 player, was among the visitors in Columbia this weekend, but the verbal pledge he gave to Kansas in August may appear too strong to break.

The one piece of low-hanging fruit that may remain for Missouri, depending on the remaining space available in the class, is Stonewall, Lou., athlete/wide receiver Curtis Carter .

Carter made his official visit to Missouri on Dec. 11-12 after decommiting from Nebraska days prior, but he chose not to follow the lead of fellow one-time Cornhusker commit Tyler Gabbert, Texas running back Marcus Murphy, and JUCO transfer Kenronte Walker—all of whom committed to MU during their visits with the Tigers last weekend.

Carter, who as of Sunday has MU and TCU listed as his top two choices, visited the Horned Frogs this weekend. He could make his decision before Christmas, although speculation indicates the addition of Sasser and Lucas may lead him to side with TCU.

You can find this article and more at my page at Examiner.com.

Photo credit: Columbia Missourian