Mizzou head coach Barry Odom and his assistants each had different ways of saying it during their comments on Wednesday's National Signing Day, but the conclusion they either hinted at or hammered head-on was basically the same:
First, the Tigers are pleased with their 25-man 2018 signing class.
(Good luck finding a coaching staff that says differently.)
But, yes, missing on so many potential difference-makers from the home state hurts.
"I'm excited about the guys we got," Odom said. "We have work to do in every area. In-state. Out-of-state. Also, the commitment and the things we have done over the last few months, and will continue to do, with the brand of getting Mizzou kids to stay at Mizzou, we are going to get there. And the sooner that we identify guys and get them on campus and continue to build and have real relationships with them, it's going to turn."
Of the 10 in-state targets the Tigers publicly prioritized one year ago, just one signed with Mizzou: Blue Spring defensive end Daniel Parker.
And Parkway North defensive tackle Michael Thompson's signing-day announcement to play for Oklahoma meant the Tigers whiffed on every elite high school senior from the St. Louis area.
Altogether the Tigers signed five players from Missouri. They signed nine players from Texas. Other signees came from Arizona (1), Florida (2), Georgia (2), Louisiana (1), North Carolina (1), Michigan (1), New York (1), South Carolina (1) and Tennessee (1).
Some news and notes from the media availability with Odom and his assistants:
• The only relative surprise of the class was running back Tyler Badie of Memphis. The 5-foot-9, 170-pound three-star prospect (247Sports) out of Briarcrest Christian High School flipped his commitment from Memphis.
During his senior season, Badie carried the ball 193 times in 10 games and totaled 1,186 total yards (6.14 per carry) with 18 touchdowns. He ran for 100-plus yards six times. He also caught 16 passes for 306 yards and three touchdowns. His Briarcrest team finished 9-2 and made a state quarterfinal appearance.
"He will be one of the faster guys in the room," running backs coach Cornell Ford said. "He's just an athlete. When the ball is in his hands, he does special things. When you turn the film on, you see that. For whatever reason, he wasn't heavily recruited until late. Once people saw we were in the picture, a lot of other people started to wake up. I'm excited about him."
• Former four-star receiver recruit Da'Ron Davis remains in limbo. Davis was the only Missouri native who signed to the Tigers' previous 2017 class, but he failed to qualify academically. The product of Lee's Summit North High and Hogan Preparatory Academy has not yet been cleared by the NCAA Clearinghouse. The team now hopes he will be in the fold by June.
• Odom had high praise for quarterback Lindsey Scott Jr., whom Post-Dispatch Mizzou beat writer Dave Matter profiled here. Scott is likely to back up starter Drew Lock during Lock's senior season.
"He's a tremendous talent," Odom said. "He has great leadership skills. He led his junior college to a national championship. Very, very productive. Mature competitor. Very driven on what he wants to go accomplish. He started here last week, or two weeks ago, and has done a great job up to this point. He will compete and see how it plays out."
"His recruiting process was as little different. He had been through a recruiting process before. He wasn't interested in a fresh coat of paint. He's into substance. He is going to make the team better."
• Odom confirmed that Daniel Parker, the highest-rated in-state signee the Tigers secured, will start out as a defensive end. There has been debate about if the Blue Springs product should play along the offensive or defensive line. He will get his first crack on defense, which he prefers.
• The class adds six receivers to a position group that loses leading pass-catcher J'Mon Moore. Those battling for early playing time include Harry Ballard III, the McCluer North product and former All-Metro selection. After emerging from Jones County, Miss., Junior College, Ballard is enrolled at Mizzou and participating in the team's conditioning program.
• Odom said he has made tweaks to the team's recruiting approach. In the past, assistants were signed a specific area of the country to recruit and mostly stuck to that assignment. Those assignments will still exist, but moving forward, position coaches will join in the recruitment of players in the coaches' area of expertise, regardless of where the prospect is located.
• Odom joked that the Tigers' recruitment of 23-year-old defensive lineman Antar Thompson, who played for Maplewood-Richmond Heights and first signed with the Tigers in 2013, started when Odom was a "junior in college."
"The journey he has taken to get here — he understands he gets an opportunity now to go write his script," Odom said.
• Odom said new offensive coordinator Derek Dooley scored 100 percent on the NCAA-mandated recruiting test he had to take after returning to college ball from the NFL. Dooley, former Dallas Cowboys receivers coach, has not coached in college since he was fired as Tennessee head coach in 2012. Dooley said Wednesday that he wants to produce an offense that wins more games, not an offense that produces better statistics.
Announced Feb. 7, 2018
Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School/Prev. School)
Tyler Badie RB 5-9 170 Memphis, Tenn. (Briarcrest Christian)
Nick Bolton LB 6-0 227 Frisco, Texas (Lone Star)
Xavier Delgado OL 6-5 300 Glendale, Ariz. (Deer Valley)
Jatorian Hansford DE 6-4 222 Forsyth, Ga. (Mary Persons)
Bobby Lawrence OL 6-8 300 St. Joseph, Mo. (Central)
Lindsay Scott, Jr. QB 5-11 210 Zachary, La. (LSU/East Mississippi CC)
Announced Dec. 20-22, 2017
Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School/Prev. School)
Chad Bailey LB 6-0 235 Missouri City, Texas (Ridge Point)
Harry Ballard III WR 6-2 205 Florissant, Mo. (McCluer North/Jones County JC)
Simi Bakare RB 5-11 195 Round Rock, Texas (Cedar Ridge)
Tyrone Collins DB 5-11 165 Bradenton, Fla. (Braden River)
Javon Foster OL 6-6 300 West Bloomfield, Mich. (West Bloomfield)
Dominic Gicinto WR 5-9 170 Raytown, Mo. (Raytown)
Danny Gray WR 6-1 175 Dallas, Texas (James Madison)
Trajan Jeffcoat DE 6-3 220 Columbia, S.C. (Irmo)
Jalen Knox WR 6-0 180 Mansfield, Texas (Timberview)
Chris Mills DB 6-0 185 Converse, Texas (Judson)
Gerald Nathan, Jr. LB 6-1 200 Charlotte, N.C. (Vance)
Daniel Parker DE 6-4 245 Blue Springs, Mo. (Blue Springs)
Mike Ruth OL 6-7 325 Coppell, Texas (Coppell)
Kam Scott WR 6-2 180 Manvel, Texas (Manvel)
Messiah Swinson TE 6-7 260 Glen Head, N.Y. (Lutheran)
Antar Thompson DT 6-5 310 St. Louis, Mo. (Richmond Heights/Highland CC)
Khmari Thompson WR 6-1 195 Lawrenceville, Ga. (Central Gwinnett)
Jarvis Ware DB 6-1 175 Apopka, Fla. (Wekiva)
Cameron Wilkins LB 6-2 223 Del Valle, Texas (Del Valle)