Missouri Tigers Get Commitment from DT Terry Beckner, Jr.
The Missouri Tigers got a big commitment on National Signing Day from defensive tackle Terry Beckner, Jr. of East St. Louis high school. After receiving at least 20 Division 1 offers from prestigious football programs such as Florida, Nebraska, Oregon, and USC, Beckner had narrowed down his decision to Auburn, Florida State, Mizzou, and Ohio State.
There’s a wide disparity of opinion on Beckner; he’s only rated as a four-star prospect and the fifth-best defensive tackle in the country by Rivals.com, while ESPN has him ranked as a five-star prospect who is the second-best player overall and the best defensive tackle.
Regardless, Beckner’s addition is the most high-profile splash that Mizzou has made on National Signing Day since the addition of wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham (Rivals’ number one overall prospect) in 2012. Obviously, the Tiger coaching staff will be hoping that Beckner’s tenure ends up going better than Green-Beckham’s, as the talented but troubled wideout was dismissed in the spring of 2014 following domestic violence allegations.
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Mizzou had Beckner in for a visit on Saturday, and they obviously put maximum effort into impressing the 6-foot-4, 300-pounder. Beckner was flown in via helicopter, and students chanted “Terry Beckner, D-line ZOU!” when he arrived at the Tigers’ basketball game.
The other intriguing element with Beckner that wasn’t necessarily the case with Green-Beckham is that he’s likely to turn into a much better player under the tutelage of revered defensive line coach Craig Kuligowski. The man often referred to as “Coach Kool” has developed 11 NFL defensive linemen during his tenure at Mizzou, and it’s expected that his two defensive ends, Shane Ray and Markus Golden, will be first-rounders in this year’s draft. In addition to developing players like Ray and Aldon Smith from middling recruits into superstars, Kuligowski has been able to keep highly-regarded recruits like Kony Ealy and Sheldon Richardson on the right track for the NFL.