Gary Pinkel was pleased that Missouri recruiting helped hit their targets

Gary Pinkel was pleased that Missouri recruiting helped hit their targets

With back-to-back SEC East Championships and 23 wins over the last two seasons, the Mizzou football program put together perhaps their best incoming class in the Gary Pinkel era.  The 2015 class includes 23 prospects, covering 10 states, with eight from Missouri and 17 in all from states within the Southeastern Conference. The Tigers brought in the top-ranked players in the states of Missouri (QB Drew Lock – Lee’s Summit), Illinois (DL Terry Beckner, Jr. – East St. Louis) and Kansas (OL A.J. Harris – Stilwell).

Missouri is still looking for a conference championship under Pinkel, but they have plenty to brag about from an on-field and in-classroom standpoint.  Mizzou has produced the fifth-most NFL First-Round Draft Picks nationally since 2009 and have led their conference in Academic Progress Rates in each of the last three reports.

In terms of individual victories on Signing Day, having Beckner pick Mizzou over Auburn, Ohio State and Florida was a big win.  Pinkel says Beckner was a kid that they’ve had their eye as a freshman in high school.

The Tigers added eight student-athletes in total from Missouri, but also did well in Georgia (3), Tennessee (3), Florida (1), Louisiana (1), and Mississippi (1), all in the traditional footprint of the SEC

Mizzou ranks tied for fifth nationally among teams from power conferences in wins since 2007 with 76 in that span. Additionally, Mizzou is tied for the most SEC wins over the last two seasons as well. Gary Pinkel’s team is also one of only three teams from power five conferences to win five conference division championships since 2007.