Mizzou lands ’24 luxury protective end Nwaneri

Blake Baumgartner, ESPN Staff WriterAug 14, 2023, 01:49 PM ET Eliah Drinkwitz and Missouri scored a big win off the field Monday by securing a commitment from first-class defensive end Williams Nwaneri.Nwaneri, No. 12 general in the 2024 ESPN 300 and the cycle’s No. 2 defensive end, is an item of Lee’s Top North High School( Missouri )and ends up being the highest-ranked prospect in the Tigers’2024 class.He would be the highest-ranked player to sign with the program considering that pass receiver Luther Concern( No. 5 total)in 2022 and the highest-ranked defensive lineman because Terry Beckner Jr.(No. 2 total, No. 1 DT) in 2015. “I ‘d state truly since they began

hiring me I feel like it’s corresponded,”Nwaneri told ESPN.” However I have a great relationship with the training staff and I feel like it’s somewhere I might go and be successful as a trainee and as an athlete.”He pointed out “excellent discussions”with Drinkwitz and defensive line coach Kevin Peoples as factors he’ll remain near to home.Editor’s Picks”It’s my house state,”Nwaneri said.”It’s like me being a hometown hero, so it’s a quite huge offer to me.”He likewise

thought about Oklahoma, Georgia and Tennessee. Nwaneri joins St. Thomas Aquinas High School( Florida) pass receiver James Madison II (No. 284 total )as ESPN 300 recruits in the 2024 cycle for the Tigers.Missouri’s classes in recent cycles have been up and down: 53rd in 2020, 32nd in 2021, 11th in 2022 and 37th in 2023. Nwaneri believes Drinkwitz is on the cusp of building something excellent.”I believe this alters the class entirely, “Nwaneri said. “I seem like I’m going to have a great deal of [people notice] It’s going to give them a bit of momentum.

Employees are visiting it and I seem like it’s going to most likely be extremely, very good for the class.”Last season, the Tigers’ defense connected with Alabama for second in the SEC in sacks (36 )and was fourth in overall defense (337.3 YPG). That represented a substantial enhancement from 2021 when Missouri was

13th in the SEC both in overall defense and scoring defense.”They run a lot of different things, like various types of developments and all that,”Nwaneri said.” However mainly like a four-man front. I’m going to be coming off the edge rushing the quarterback. There will be times where they drop me into protection. That’s what I wish to see myself doing.” In 14 games, the 6-foot-7, 260-pound Nwaneri taped 56 tackles(31 solo)with 10 takes on for loss and 12 sacks as a junior in 2022.”I really seem like I’m a very position-flexible defensive lineman,”he said.”But I can play all the method down

the line. I feel like I can utilize my length to my benefit. I seem like I got an excellent get-off. I feel like I’m just an excellent protective lineman all around.”