Mizzou Wrestling signs two talented wrestlers to 2020-21 signing class
11/4/2020 3:45:00 PM | Wrestling
Korbin Shepherd and Nate Pulliam sign with Brian Smith's program
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Wrestling head coach Brian Smith has signed two new wrestlers to his program on Wednesday (Nov. 11). 133-pounder Korbin Shepherd (Blue Springs, Mo.) and 149-pounder Nate Pulliam (Rolla, Mo.) will join Mizzou next season.
"Both of these young men understand what Tiger Style is," head coach Brian Smith said. "They are both proud to put on the Black and Gold and represent Mizzou and the State of Missouri in the future."
Korbin Shepherd – 133 Pounds – Blue Springs, Mo. – Blue Springs High School
- Ranked No. 13 nationally at 132 pounds by FloWrestling
- 2019-2020 State Runner-up and District Champion
- 2019 Ultimate Freestyle Runner-up
- 2019 USAW Junior Folkstyle Nationals All-American (Fourth Place)
- 2018-2019 State and District Champion
- 2017-2018 State and District Runner-up
- 2018 Southern Plains Regional Greco-Roman Third Place
- 2018 Southern Plains Regional Freestyle Third Place
- 2018 MOUSAW Greco State Champion
- 2018 MOUSAW Freestyle State Champion
- Three time First-Team All-Conference
- 2019 and 2020 Academic All-State
- Career record of 113-10
- Wrestled for coach Bobbe Lowe
- Member of National Honor Society
Personal:
- Son of Brandon and Heather Shepherd
- Born September 6, 2002, in Overland Park, Kan.
- Plans to study pre-physical therapy
Korbin on choosing Mizzou:
"Academically Mizzou is an amazing college. I'm going to go into physical therapy, and Coach Smith was telling me about their professional physical therapy program, so that's awesome. Another big thing is having one of the best college wrestling rooms in the country. You can't go wrong there with good partners. It's close to home, so I get to stay at home and just represent Missouri. I knew where I wanted to be the whole time and I made it happen."
Korbin on what Tiger Style means to him:
"Hearing Coach Smith actually talk about Tiger Style in person is crazy. He preaches one more. We're going to do one more rep. It's pushing yourself to become better on the mat and off the mat. To be a part of something bigger than myself is awesome."
Coach Smith on Korbin
"Korbin will continue the tradition of outstanding student wrestlers from Blue Springs HS. Following Mizzou greats Dom Bradley and Daniel Lewis, Korbin brings many accolades from his wrestling. Coach Dom Bradley brought Korbin to my attention by letting me know about his work ethic and drive that he has had since he was a youth wrestler."
Nate Pulliam – 149 Pounds – Rolla, Mo. – Rolla High School
- Three-time state finalist at Rolla under head coach Mary Hauck
- Career high school record of 115-1
- His only loss came in the state finals in 2018 as he has since claimed a pair of state titles in 2019 and 2020
- Three-time Academic All-State selection with a 3.90 GPA
- Three-time team captain and helped Rolla to a sixth-place finish at state in 2018 and 2020, and an eighth-place nod in 2019
- 2019-2020 State and District Champion
- 2019 Fargo Freestyle Nationals All-American (Fourth Place)
- 2019 MOUSAW Freestyle State Champion
- 2018-2019 State and District Champion
- 2018 USAW Preseason Nationals Champion
- 2018 Southern Plains Regional Champion
- 2017-2018 State Runner-up and District Champion
Personal:
- Son of Gerald Pulliam and Melissa Negrete
- Plans to major in biology or biochemistry while at Mizzou
Nate on choosing Mizzou:
"I chose to sign with Mizzou from a wrestling standpoint because there are terrific partners, there are several ranked guys in the country at Mizzou. I know a lot of them, being a Missouri guy, so that helps knowing them as friends and wrestlers, as well. From the academic standpoint, I would say that Mizzou is a top-tier school for academics. I want to go to medical school, and Mizzou's program is very good, so getting into that will be a little easier being there already. I think for my future it will help out a lot."
Nate on what Tiger Style means to him:
"To me Tiger Style has always meant guys that aren't going to stop. They're going to keep grinding it, and no matter what they're never going to give up. I've seen that in a lot of Mizzou wrestlers. They want more and they never want to stop. I love that and I can't wait to be a part of that."
Coach Smith on Nate:
"Nate is a worker and a student of the sport. He loves to compete at the high level and has had a lot of success in major tournaments in the past couple years. Our staff really appreciates how Nate is so driven to be successful on the mat, but also in the classroom. Nate is driven to become a National champion and a doctor. He knows he can achieve both of those goals with the support he will get from Tiger Style."
Exclusive Interview with Korbin and Nate
Players Mentioned
