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COLUMBIA, Mo. – Twenty standout student-athletes have signed a National Letter of Intent

(NLI) to attend the University of Missouri and play football for Head Coach Gary Pinkel, as announced

today.

“We are very pleased and excited to welcome a very talented group of young men to join our

program at Mizzou,” said Head Coach Gary Pinkel. “We feel that this is a high-quality group of players

who are good fits for areas of need. This is a versatile group that is excited to be part of our family, and

help us compete for championships,” he said.

As of the early afternoon, the new Tiger group was ranked 28th in the country according to its

average star rating by Rivals. Overall, the class of newest Tigers has been rated as the 37th-best nationally,

according to ESPN, and as the country’s No. 48 class by Rivals.

The winning tradition and academic reputation of the Tiger program under Head Coach Gary

Pinkel was surely an attraction for a skilled class of student-athletes. Mizzou continues to excel in the

classroom, as it has graduated more than 90 percent of its seniors since 2007. The Tigers played in seven-

straight bowl games from 2005-2011.

In all, 11 of the state of Missouri’s top football talents signed to play for their home state school.

Mizzou brought in five of the state’s overall top 10, according to ESPN. The Tiger coaching staff

additionally sought out talent from around the Southeastern Conference’s footprint, bringing in student-

athletes from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas.