Mizzou legacy Graham Faust commits to Tigers as preferred walk-on

Among the late flurries of offers to in-state recruits, Graham Faust moved forward with a commitment to Missouri.

The St. Louis (Mo.) MICDS safety verbally pledged to the Tigers as a preferred walk-on, marking the fifth high school commitment from the Show-Me State this month. His father, Vic Faust, played tight end for Missouri in the 1990s.

“Ever since birth,” the younger Faust said about his Missouri fandom. “I grew up going to Mizzou games, basketball, football, so I grew up all about Mizzou, watching Tyler Badie, Maty Mauk, all the originals.”

Missouri director of scouting Jared Russell offered Faust on Jan. 20. The staffer spoke to the Faust family about future compensation and financial aid once the Tigers balance out their roster for the 2026 season.

“When (Russell) first started contacting me and reaching out, I started thinking to myself I would love to go here, maybe I was low balling myself,” Faust said. “I can play with the big dogs, and I’m going to play with the big dogs. It was just a dream come true like a full-circle moment.”

“Their scouting staff is top notch, and I’m not just saying that because I’m a Mizzou guy,” Faust’s father added. “They spoke of where they saw him, how he fits in and where he would have his chance to compete with his talent. It was better than anyone he had spoken to. I think that grabbed his attention, because everything he knew about his abilities, they saw.”

Faust suffered a knee injury ahead of this past summer during his final football offseason. Although missing the camp circuit, the 6-foot-3, 190-pound athlete still posted an eye-catching season to Missouri. He logged 94 total tackles, two interceptions, one touchdown and one fumble recovery in MSHSAA Class 5.

An all-state football player, Faust also starred in lacrosse at MICDS. The two-spot athlete received interest for the college level, although not reporting any offers publicly. In his football recruitment, Faust received scholarship offers from Air Force, Eastern Michigan, Miami (OH) and Missouri State.