The Missouri Tigers’ 2022 recruiting class grew to a dozen commitments yesterday, the latest addition being defensive lineman Jalen Marshall.
Marshall, who currently attends Saint Thomas Aquinas High School in Overland Park, Kansas, is a 6’5”, 270-pound interior wrecker. He’s primarily played at the tackle spot in a 4-3 base defense, and his junior-year Hudl highlights show what Mizzou defensive line coach Jethro Franklin and ten other Power 5 programs wanted to add to their rosters.
He moves very quickly considering his frame, coming off blocks at the edge and chasing quarterbacks out of the pocket. He’s got the strength to plug running gaps and break through the offensive line, allowing him to make tackles before playmakers can break past the line of scrimmage. According to MaxPreps, Marshall made 48 total tackles in ten games as a junior, including three tackles for loss and three sacks.
Mizzou recruitment will also seemingly benefit from Gov. Mike Parson signing HB 297 on Tuesday as it will allow athletes to pursue endorsement deals based on their name, image and likeness.
The bill, introduced months before the NCAA began to roll back its previous restrictions on NIL benefits for student-athletes, prevents any “postsecondary educational institution” from restricting a student-athlete’s ability to earn “compensation as a result of the use of the student’s name, image, likeness rights, or athletic reputation.”
Mizzou currently collaborates with Opendorse through its TradeMark program to provide student-athletes with opportunities to promote partnered businesses via social media. It is unknown at this time how many athletes have elected to participate in TradeMark, as no official endorsements have been made yet through the program.
Student-athletes are already taking advantage of the new NIL policies; multiple Mizzou football athletes, including defensive end Akial Byers, announced a partnership with Yoke Gaming, a platform that allows fans to connect with athletes through interactive video game challenges. Quarterback Brady Cook recently promoted realtor Tracy Griffitts Nichols of Worth Clark Realty on his Instagram. Many athletes, like Martez Manuel, showed off new personal logos.
Arguably the largest benefactor of the NIL policy change has been offensive lineman Drake Heismeyer, whose #69EatsLocal campaign has promoted various restaurants across the state. He’s also now selling t-shirts and hats through Columbia company 573 Tees, from which he’s donating half of the profits to the Central and Northeast Food Bank of Missouri’s Buddy Pack program.
It won’t be a surprise to see more athletes taking advantage of the policy shift in the near future as preseason attention gears up.
In other Tigers news, former Mizzou cornerback Jarvis Ware announced his commitment to the University of Central Florida this week. It’s a return to his home state for the Apopka native, who will now become a contributor to the Knights defense that allowed over 33 points a game to opponents in 2020.
