Missouri wins out for five-star Williams Nwaneri

To put things lightly, the recruitment of Williams Nwaneri has been one for the books with plenty of twists and turns along the way. In the end, it was Eliah Drinkwitz and the Missouri staff that pulled off one of the biggest recruiting upsets of the 2024 recruiting cycle when the nation’s No. 3 recruit chose the Tigers from a final five that also included Oklahoma, Georgia, Oregon and Tennessee.

The Lee’s Summit (Mo.) North standout was once considered a Georgia lean, then an Oklahoma lock by some, prior to Missouri becoming the late favorite and ultimately receiving his pledge in front of a national audience on Monday afternoon. For Missouri, Nwaneri not only represents a marquee win on the recruiting trail but also a potential shift in the recruitment of elite in-state talent moving forward.

The Tigers are getting an immediate impact player with generational upside should he reach his ceiling on the field. The five-star has a rare combination of size, length and athleticism along with the versatility to play multiple positions along the defensive front.

Watch From the Film Room: 2024 DE Williams Nwaneri for an in-depth breakdown of the type of player Missouri is getting in the nation’s No. 3 overall recruit.

This is as big as it gets for Missouri and could be a preview of what’s to come with the Tiger’s in-state recruiting efforts moving forward. Beating current and future SEC foes for one of the nation’s most prized recruits shows that the Missouri program not only has the want to but also the resources and recruiting acumen to land elite talent over college football’s blue bloods.

While one player won’t necessarily make or break an entire program, Nwaneri is about as close to a program-making recruit there is and his pledge could alter the trajectory of Missouri’s recruiting efforts moving forward. The Tigers made a statement with Monday’s recruiting victory, and although the pursuit of Nwaneri likely won’t end until signing day, this proves the program is willing to do whatever it takes to keep its best players at home.