COLUMBIA, Mo. – From Henry Josey to Marcus Murphy, Mizzou has a rich tradition of isolating under-the-radar rushing talent from the Lone Star State. Head coach Barry Odom has revitalized the pipeline from the state Texas to Mizzou—a trend that is apparent in the commitment and signing of RB Jalen Knox.

"We have a lot of ballers in Texas," Knox mentioned. "To have that pipeline come from Texas to up here, it will really help a lot. We have athletes."

Knox's play at wide receiver is predicated on his elusiveness and sheer speed. The Mansfield, Texas, native joins the Tigers at a time when depth at the WR position is increasingly prevalent, but that's not stopping Knox from working behind the scenes.

"I just follow Nate Brown and Eman [Emanuel Hall] the whole time," Knox said. "Because Emanuel, his game is similar to mine, so I look to him to see how he does certain things. Nate, he's so fundamentally sound so I try to put some of his parts into my game as well."

Coming out of Mansfield Timberview High School, Knox was all over the field on both sides of the ball.

"I played everything," Knox said of his time at THS. "I didn't work at receiver a lot, I was more running back, quarterback, DB, and so on."

While Knox will primarily work as wideout with the Tigers, neither himself nor the coaching staff have ruled out the possibility of the freshman fielding kickoffs and punts.

"I've been rotating in and out doing that, catching punts in practice, so I think so," Knox said on the possibilities, adding: "I love special teams, that's where I really get to shine, show what I can do."

Regardless of the depth and talent currently present, Knox was confident in his decision to choose the Tigers. Breaking down his choice, Knox credits a spring game experience for leading him to Mizzou.

"I came up here for the spring game my junior year and when I got up here I just fell in love with it," Knox described. "After I took the visit, I knew this is where I want to be. I knew I was coming here."

Excited about what his future as a Tiger holds, Knox has a trio of goals that he aims to make a reality before he exits Columbia.

"I just want to help Missouri football win games, get my degree, and make positive impacts on everyone's lives around here."

Stay tuned to #MIZCAMP18 by following Mizzou Football on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @MizzouFootball. Tickets are available for the season by calling 1-800-CAT-PAWS (884-PAWS locally) or visiting MUTigers.com/FBTix.