Five-Star Plus+ DL Williams Nwaneri commits to Missouri: 'It is the best place for me'

Over the course of the past year, Lee’s Summit (Mo.) North Five-Star Plus+ defensive lineman Williams Nwaneri blossomed from a coveted recruit in the Midwest to one of the nation’s top prospects in the 2024 class.

Offers followed from some of the sport’s biggest names, and Nwaneri looked at each school intently. At one point Tennessee was considered to be at the top, and the same was true with Georgia. Oklahoma was a hot name for much of the spring and summer as Brent Venables, Todd Bates and Miguel Chavis made their push.

But one school remained consistent — and under the radar — in Nwaneri’s recruitment. And that was Missouri. The in-state program was one of the first to offer him back in December 2021. Eli Drinkwitz and his staff stayed on Nwaneri, even as other schools came into the picture. And on Monday, that pursuit paid off as On3’s No. 1 overall recruit announced his commitment to the Tigers.

“It was Oklahoma on top for the longest,” he told On3. “They were on top of my list for a while. Then in June, I really thought hard about committing to Georgia, and I almost did. Tennessee was in there for a little while too. Missouri just stayed consistent, and over time, they moved up the list and I ended up committing to them over Georgia.”

Decision process was ‘tough’ for Nwaneri

Early in the summer, the 6-foot-6, 265-pound Nwaneri didn’t have a timeline locked in his for his commitment. He was considering an official visit to Oregon this fall and would potentially take his recruitment beyond that. After his summer official visits though, he wanted to move things up and be done with what he described as a challenging recruiting process.

“It was definitely tougher than I expected it to be when it started,” he said. “It was a tough process, but I had to push through it and make the best decision for myself. It wasn’t easy, but I feel I made the right decision for me.”

Nwaneri made the choice a little more than a week ago, and he informed both Missouri defensive line coach Kevin Peoples and Drinkwitz. He’s still not sure if they believe what they pulled off.

“Coach Peoples and Coach Drink were both really involved in recruiting me,” he added. “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 believes he can achieve everything he wants in Columbia

While some of the other programs and coaches he was considering have a track record developing elite defensive linemen and sending them to the NFL, Nwaneri believes he can do all of that at Missouri.

And he’s comfortable with Drinkwitz’s coaching staff, likes the ability to stay close to home, and the opportunities on and off the field in his home state are significant.

“What made me feel good about Missouri was comfortability, relationships with the coaching staff and the people there,” he said. “It has a feeling like somewhere close that I could go and fit in. Staying home is extremely big for me. As a child I watched Missouri, I get to stay home and we can start something new. Having a chance to be that hometown hero and starting a trend at Missouri played into my decision.”