Missouri trending up with 5-star WR Ryan Wingo
Despite a slow start to the 2024 recruiting cycle and a class that currently ranks No. 57 nationally in the On3 Industry Football Team Recruiting Rankings, Missouri has some major buzz on the trail right now.
The Tigers are one of three major contenders for Five-Star Plus+ defensive lineman Williams Nwaneri out of Lee’s Summit (Mo.) North, who is set to make his commitment on August 14. But the Tigers are also a program trending up with Saint Louis (Mo.) University five-star wide receiver Ryan Wingo, the No. 2 recruit in the Show-Me State and one of their biggest targets in this class.
On Monday, the Tigers received a prediction in their favor with Wingo from 247Sports national recruiting analyst Allen Trieu. While Texas — and even Tennessee — have been considered the favorites to land Wingo in recent weeks, the Tigers have been making some major moves behind the scenes for the elite wide receiver.
Missouri hosted him for an official visit in June, and the Tigers also got him on campus at the end of July for an unofficial visit as well.
“Entering the summer, Tennessee looked to be the team to beat. The Vols are still very much in the mix, and the SEC program in Knoxville is expected to receive an official visit in the coming months, but Texas and Missouri are the schools now with the most chatter around them,” On3 Director of Recruiting Chad Simmons wrote earlier this month.
Tigers could land a pair of five-star commits for the first time ever
Should head coach Eliah Drinkwitz and the Tigers win out for both Nwaneri and Wingo, it would be an historic recruiting coup for Missouri. The Tigers have landed a handful of five-star prospects in recent memory, including wide receivers Luther Burden III (2022) and Dorial Green-Beckham (2014).
But not once in the program’s history have the Tigers landed two five-star prospects in the same class.
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. He ranks as both the No. 1 defensive lineman in the country and the No. 1 prospect in Missouri.
Wingo, meanwhile, checks in as the nation’s No. 24 overall prospect and No. 7 wide receiver. He is expected to announce his commitment decision on the first day of the Early Signing Period, December 20.