Five Mizzou notes: New offers, coaches hit recruiting trail
Missouri finally pulled the trigger with a scholarship to Darrius Smiley. Tigers offensive line coach Brandon Jones offered the top in-state offensive tackle in the 2028 class Tuesday after an in-person evaluation at St. Louis (Mo.) St. Mary’s.
Offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey and running backs coach Curtis Luper also made the trip.
Smiley, who last visited Missouri on April 8, knew the opportunity was right around the corner. The four-star debuted on the Rivals300 at No. 99 as the second-ranked recruit in the state of Missouri. His teammate is top Class of 2027 running back Kingston Miles.
“I always stay humble,” Smiley said this past week. “But to be honest, to me, rankings don’t really matter. Because you just keep on working, and then eventually, the rankings go up. But it’s just the work ethic that you got to have.”
Anthony Busby Jr., 2028 LB
Derek Nicholson visited St. Louis (Mo.) University on Monday. The Missouri co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach offered Class of 2028 three-star linebacker Anthony Busby Jr. in September. Class of 2026 linebacker signee Keenan Harris is also finishing out his senior year at SLUH.
“They coach with high intensity, energy and key to detail, which is the type of coaching I love,” Busby said in mid-March. “D Nic and (assistant linebackers coach Chris Ball) both know what it takes to play the linebacker position in the NFL and most definitely in college, so I’m just going to keep building that relationship with them.”
Raheem Floyd, 2027 CB
Missouri sent a representative to see East St. Louis (Ill.) cornerback Raheem Floyd on Monday, according to national recruiting analyst Allen Trieu. Tigers cornerbacks coach Al Pogue traveled to St. Louis at the start of work, while still working on Floyd to set up an official visit.
“Indiana is considered the favorite,” Trieu said. “He takes his (official visit) this weekend, but each day that passes where he’s not committed, there is an opportunity for a different school like Mizzou. If he’s not a Hoosier by Monday, that’s a huge win for the Tigers.”
Carter St. Junious, 2028 WR
One of Carter St. Junious‘ coaches from his 7-on-7 team, Texas Threat, reached out to Missouri edges coach Brian Early. St. Junious, a Class of 2028 wide receiver, then reported an offer from the Tigers on Monday.
“I like the energy of the program and how they develop their receivers,” said the Manvel (Texas) four-star, who expects Missouri to stick around in his recruitment. “It seems like a place where I could grow and compete at a high level.”
Carlos Clark, 2027 EDGE
Liberty (Mo.) North prospect Carlos Clark Jr. plans to attend Elite Camp on June 4. Early paid an in-school visit to the unoffered Class of 2027 edge this past Thursday. Clark, a former teammate of cornerback signee Trashundon Neal, visited the Tigers in January and March.
“It was really good seeing Coach Early,” Early said this past week. “We had a great conversation with him talking to me about football, mainly my family — that’s what I look for in a coach — and about how he’s ready for the season. I’m on their radar, and they got eyes on me.”