Will the stars align for Tigers?
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Just like Gary Pinkel before him, first-year Missouri head football coach Barry Odom doesn't look at the stars.
Odom takes even less stock in these stars than he does in Astrology.
Good thing.
Wednesday was National Signing Day for college football teams and the Missouri Tigers ranked 48th or 49th --- depending on what rating service you looked at --- out of 127 FBS schools, and 13th or 14th in the 14-team SEC.
While those numbers are hardly inspiring, on this day, it's all good and positive. Even the coaches at Kansas are brimming with pride and optimism about what they've done.
It's what coaches do.
"There were a lot of sleepless nights the last few nights, just trying to piece it all together," said Odom, in his first year as head coach. "We looked at immediate needs we needed to address ... I'm excited about the class we put together and the opportunity for these guys to move forward in our program.
"We anticipate these guys helping us immediately when they step on campus. Given the plan for the University of Missouri and the foundation for our program being set the way it is, adding these new pieces makes us excited going into the fall."
The players considered the country's top recruits get 5 stars, meaning they're expected to be All-American-types who will likely play in the NFL. Missouri landed none of those and only one player who received 4 stars, East St. Louis running back Nate Strong.
By comparison, national champion Alabama signed one player who received 5 stars --- nobody in the country had more than three, these guys are rare --- but has 20 with 4 stars. Alabama's overall class is ranked second behind Florida State in rankings that fluctuated throughout the day.
Also in the top 10 from SEC, LSU fell from the expected No. 1 spot to No. 3, Ole Miss is fourth, Georgia is seventh and Auburn ninth.
As of late Wednesday afternoon, Missouri's class includes four JUCO transfers and one graduate transfer. The Tigers signed one quarterback, two running backs, four wide receivers, two tight ends, three offensive linemen, two defensive linemen, two linebackers, two safeties, one cornerback and a kicker.
Two of the 3-star players the Tigers signed included Rock Bridge defensive end Tre Williams, and Tulsa quarterback Micah Wilson.
Also Wednesday, Jackie Shipp has been named the defensive line coach after serving three years in the same position at Arizona State. Shipp replaces Chris Wilson, who didn't coach a day for the Tigers and just one month after he was hired, Wilson left to join the staff of the Philadelphia Eagles.
"There's always work to be done," Odom said, "but the blueprint on how we're going to do things, the structure and the day-to-day operations, I learned a tremendous amount from coach Pinkel. At the end of the day, when I eventually lay down to sleep, I want to know that our staff and players are out-working everybody else.
"I'm really, really excited to get started."
Here is Missouri's current Class of 2016:
* Nate Strong (4 stars), 6-0, 211, RB, East St. Louis
* Tre Williams (3), 6-5, 235, DE, Columbia Rock Bridge
* Damarea Crockett (3), 5-11, 212, RB, Little Rock
* Greg Taylor (3), 5-10, 200, S, East St. Louis
* Brendan Scales (3), 6-4, 235, TE, Wildwood
* Albert Okwuegbunam (3), 6-5, 225, TE, Springfield, Ill.
* Cale Garrett (3), 6-3, 225, LB, Kearney
* Trystan Castillo (3), 6-4, 295, OL, Webb City
* Micah Wilson (3), 6-3, 205, QB, Tulsa
* Tre'Vour Simms (3), 6-5, 340, OL, East St. Louis
* Tucker McCann (3), 6-0, 185, K, O'Fallon
* Dominic Collins (3), 6-2, 175, WR, Fullerton, Calif.
* Jerod Alton (3), 5-10, 180, CB, Kirkwood
* DeMarkus Acy (3), 6-2, 183, S, Dallas
* Christian Holmes (3), 6-1, 182, WR, Atlanta
* Trey Baldwin (3), 6-2, 240, LB, Houston
* Markell Utsey (3), 6-4, 285, DT, Little Rock
* Dimerios Mason (2), 6-0, 170, WR, Loganville, Ga.
* Chris Black (NR), 6-0, 192, WR, Jacksonville
* Tyler Howell (NR), 6-8, 305, OL, Bonner Springs, Kan.
Pinkel's recruiting classes consistently ranked in the mid-30s, although last year's grade was 25th and included 5-star defensive lineman Terry Beckner Jr. --- and Beckner, as a true freshman, lived up to billing.
Beckner was part of Missouri's great defense, but that defense was offset by an even worse offense in a 5-7 season. But the off the field problems --- like the multiple suspensions of quarterback Maty Mauk and a team strike that became a national story --- were even a bigger distractions and headaches.
How much did that impact this recruiting class, especially when you consider that Odom's only been head coach for two months?
It's safe to say it didn't help.
"Anytime you bring up race --- and I'm not afraid to say it --- everybody gets little touchy about it," Odom said. "I would hope, and I know, that as a football team that we're going to make this a better place with the way we handle ourselves.
"If you look at society as a whole, there are issues across the country ... and Columbia, Mo., is not any different than anywhere else. We're going to approach anything that comes across our table with honesty."
With the disarray of the men's basketball program, coupled with this less-than-inspiring recruiting class, you have to wonder --- if not fear --- for the future of these teams.
Football and basketball are obviously the money-making sports. But as losses pile up, that means less interest, less attendance and less money. And once you start heading down that road, it's very difficult to turn around.
Those aren't comforting thoughts for Tiger fans. Here's hoping the stars will ultimately align and say otherwise.