Mizzou Announces 2014 Football Signing Class
2/5/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
Feb. 5, 2014
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Fresh off a school-record 12-win season, the University of Missouri football program has followed up with an outstanding group of talented student-athletes who have signed national letters of intent to attend and play football for Mizzou. The 2014 signing class recruited by Head Coach Gary Pinkel and his staff includes 28 standouts, with a balanced mix of in-state stars as well as an influx of talent from the southeast corridor as the Tigers continue to make inroads in the fertile Southeastern Conference footprint.
Ten of Missouri's top stars have signed to play for their home state as Mizzou continued its focus on keeping the top in-state talent at home. Tiger coaches also made huge inroads in SEC territory after just their second year in the league, as 15 members of the current class hail from the states of Florida (7), Georgia (3), Tennessee (3), Alabama (1) and Mississippi (1).
"We're really pleased with this class, it's a very talented group of athletes who we feel fit very well with our system and how we do things at Mizzou," said Pinkel. "We've addressed our needs from a position standpoint, and it's a very athletic and versatile group overall," he said.
Five members of the class have already enrolled and are attending classes at Mizzou, and will participate in spring camp. Those include DB Logan Cheadle (Lee's Summit, Mo.), DB Kenya Dennis (Raymond, Miss.), OL Michael Fairchild (Overland Park, Kan.), LB Brandon Lee (Indianapolis, Ind.) and QB Marvin Zanders (Jacksonville, Fla.). They will be on hand when spring practices begin on March 11th, leading up to the annual Black & Gold Game on April 19th.
The recruiting progress made in SEC territory has been impressive, and Mizzou's recent success on the field and in the classroom certainly played a role.
"We're able to sell the fact that since 2007, Mizzou is the only program in the country to be in the top-10 in wins, and also in the top-five in first-round NFL Draft picks, as well as top-five in Academic Progress Rate," said Pinkel. "That really resonates with the kids and their families and coaches, they trust that when they come to Mizzou, we make them the best that they can be," he said.
For more information regarding Mizzou Football, please visit mutigers.com and garypinkel.com, or follow on Twitter at @mutigersdotcom and @mizzoufootball.
