Missouri Five-Star Plus+ DL commit Williams Nwaneri attends Tigers' second game

Lee’s Summit (Mo.) North Five-Star Plus+ defensive lineman Williams Nwaneri made waves on Aug. 14, as the elite 6-foot-6, 265-pounder committed to the in-state Missouri Tigers.

Eli Drinkwitz and the Tigers’ staff managed to lock down the pledge of one of the highest-ranked Mizzou commits in program history. Nwaneri is the No. 3 overall prospect in the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Oklahoma made a strong push, but it wasn’t enough to lure Nwaneri out of the Show-Me State and down to Norman. The Sooners are still trying to pull off a flip, but Nwaneri has his sights set on the Tigers this weekend. On3’s top-ranked prospect is in Columbia to watch Mizzou take on Middle Tennessee State.

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— ✞ Williams Nwaneri 🇳🇬 (@NwaneriWilliams) September 9, 2023

“It was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made,” Nwaneri said of choosing Mizzou. “But I had to do what was best for me.”Really, I felt like I was most comfortable with that coaching staff. It’s close to home and all that, so I felt like it was the right decision for me at the time.”

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Relationships kept Nwaneri home

Drinkwitz and defensive line coach Kevin Peoples led Mizzou’s charge for Nwaneri, which ended with a huge reaction from the Tigers’ coaching staff upon finding out they had landed the elite prospect. Those relationships that Missouri built with Nwaneri helped put the in-state SEC program over the top.

“Coach Peoples and Coach Drink were both really involved in recruiting me,” Nwaneri said. “I have great relationships with them both. Their message was always to stay home, be the guy and go where you are needed, not wanted. They want me to come in and be a huge impact for the program.”

Nwaneri headlines Missouri’s 2024 recruiting class, which ranks just No. 41 in the nation, per the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Ranking. He’s one of two blue-chip commits in the class, alongside Jonesboro (Ark.) Valley View four-star linebacker Brian Huff.

“What made me feel good about Missouri was comfortability, relationships with the coaching staff and the people there,” Nwaneri told On3’s Chad Simmons. “It has a feeling like somewhere close that I could go and fit in. Staying home is extremely big for me.”

Nwaneri has an On3 NIL Valuation of $385K. The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets high school and college athletes’ projected annual value (PAV). The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.