Five-Star Plus+ EDGE Williams Nwaneri ready to make immediate impact for Missouri

A tale as old as time in the recruiting world — the in-state school does all it can to land the elite prospect, but he ends up committing to a bigger, more established program. Many expected that to be the case with Missouri and Lee’s Summit (Mo) North Five-Star Plus+ EDGE Williams Nwaneri.

Georgia and Oklahoma were pushing heavily for the No. 2 overall prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking. However, the Tigers found momentum on the field this season and in-turn had a little extra juice on the recruiting trail. On Aug. 14, Nwaneri announced his commitment to Missouri in a monumental win for Eli Drinkwitz and Co.

Now, Nwaneri has signed with the Tigers and headlines a top-25 recruiting class as one of the highest-ranked signees in program history. Before he begins making his mark in Columbia, he’ll look to show out in the Under Armour All-America game on Jan. 3 in Orlando. Nwaneri spoke about his decision to stick with Mizzou on Friday.

“Ever since the recruiting process started, they were the most consistent with me, I feel like I had the best relationships there and it was just the place for me at the end of the day,” he told reporters. “They were real active in the recruitment, always coming to the school, always checking up on me.”

Nwaneri ready to keep Mizzou on upward trajectory

Committing to Missouri wasn’t always a foregone conclusion for the 6-foot-6, 265-pounder. Both Georgia and Oklahoma made his decision a hard one — even after committing in August.

“At first, I was really confused the whole time, until probably like a month before I committed. It started to clear up a little bit … it was Mizzou, Georgia and probably Oklahoma,” he said.

Nwaneri sees the progression in Columbia, however, and he’s ready to be a part of what Drinkwitz is building. Off the back of a 10-win regular season, an appearance in the Cotton Bowl and a rising reputation on the recruiting trail, the iron is hot and the elite prospect is ready to strike.

“Really everything, with the recruits we’re landing, guys from the transfer portal, the program’s going in a great direction, I’m just excited to be on campus and make an impact for the team,” he said. “They see me coming in, they want me to come in and play early and cause an impact. I feel like I fit well into their defense, coming off the edge, dropping into coverage, doing anything I can to help the team.”

Nwaneri believes he’s the best player in the cycle and will have ample opportunities to showcase why in Orlando. The next few days will give the Mizzou faithful a glimpse of what’s to come for the next few years.

“Nwaneri enters the all-star games believed to be the most physically-gifted prospect in the cycle. He pairs that massive frame with high-level functional movement skills. Nwaneri is an explosive, flexible athlete with the ability to bend the edge at his considerable size,” On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power wrote of Nwaneri.