Will He, Won't He?: Ryan Wingo Mulls Mizzou

'Faurot Field' Photo Credit: Ken Lund via Flickr

Five-star wide receiver Ryan Wingo is down to his final 5 schools, with his decision day being moved from December 20th to October 25th. This movement comes after Wingo had visited these final 5 campuses and "had a change of heart" according to On3 Football's Chad Simmons. "I talked it over with my family and got that feeling, so I decided to commit sooner. This is happening earlier than I expected, but things just changed." Wingo told Simmons further. Wingo's final 5 include Texas, Missouri, Georgia, Miami, and Texas A&M. Three of the five have hosted Wingo on official visits, Georgia, Texas, and Missouri, however only one of those schools has received two visits in the last month, Missouri. To a lot of opposing fanbases and insiders, this serves as a telling sign, and while they may still hold out hope, Missouri seems to make the most sense for the 5th-ranked player in the nation in the 247 Composite Rankings.

Why Mizzou?

Ryan Wingo is a St. Louis, Missouri native, attending St. Louis University High School. Missouri has seen a lot of success in their locale this recruiting season, with the 4th overall prospect, defensive end Williams Nwaneri out of Lee's Summit North, committing about two months ago, along with a handful of other top recruits in the state having a keen eye toward the Tigers. Not only that, but Missouri has seen success on the field this season as well, sitting at 6-1 and at #20 in the College Football Dawgs poll. Head coach Eli Drinkwitz is slowly, but surely turning the Tigers into a force to be reckoned with in the SEC, and it may soon result in Missouri playing for an SEC Championship if things continue to go well. With the successes that the Tigers have found as well as the proximity to home for Wingo, that already makes a strong case for the Tigers, but one more key factor may nab Wingo outright: The endorsement from other Mizzou commits and players. The Missouri wide receiver room has been hot on the trail of Wingo, engaging him on social media and doing their best to befriend him. One of the best receivers in the nation right now and Missouri superstar Luther Burden has sung the praises of Wingo and has encouraged him heavily to join an already elite corps of receivers.

Why Ryan Wingo for Mizzou?

Wingo may be the guy that carries the Tigers over the hump into SEC and perhaps national juggernaut status. With an elite corps of receivers, a quarterback in Brady Cook who isn't afraid to chuck the deep ball, a front seven that can fly around and make big hits that would include Williams Nwaneri, and a secondary that, while already decent, will be forged in fire by said receiving corps, this Tiger squad may be a force to be reckoned with. However, with it being Missouri, many are still skeptical. We've seen Missouri have massive recruiting classes only to squander them by not winning anything notable (Does Dorial Green-Beckham ring a bell?), but can guys like Wingo, Nwaneri, and company make the difference? Time can only tell, but it does seem like this new crop of Missouri recruits is already optimistic and excited about being a part of the Tiger program, with Nwaneri already making a pitch to Wingo to come join the family.

Conclusion

Ryan Wingo is set to commit this Wednesday, October 25th. With plenty of viable options at his disposal, Wingo has a big decision to make, but a lot of signs point to him becoming a Missouri Tiger. The proximity to home, the wide receiver room the Tigers already have, and the camaraderie displayed by both current and future players are pretty enticing and have led to him being crystal-balled to Mizzou by pretty much every recruiting website out there, but in the end, what Wingo decides come the 25th is completely up in the air still. We've seen some strange things before, but Wingo to Mizzou certainly wouldn't be one of them. The commit could also very much put this 2024 class into the running for one of the best recruiting classes in Missouri football history, which could speak volumes about Eli Drinkwitz and the job he has done. He's had many detractors in the past due to allegations of underachieving and not doing enough to bring the Tiger program back to where it was during the Gary Pinkel era, but with how he's leading this team now as well as the recruiting classes he's bringing in, Columbia is abuzz with optimism that will only increase with the commit of yet another blue chip in Ryan Wingo.