Mizzou steals Wisconsin recruit

Posted: Tuesday January 08, 2008 06:42AM ET

Missouri now has oral commitments from eight of the top 11 in-state football recruits for the Class of 2008. Wes Kemp, a wide receiver out of St. Louis DeSmet previously pledged to Wisconsin, told PowerMizzou.com on Monday he's switched to the Tigers. It was the second huge pickup by a previously committed Missouri prep star. Earlier, Blaine Gabbert, Parkway West quarterback, switched from Nebraska to the Tigers. Gabbert is the No. 1 rated prep player in Missouri, Kemp is the fifth. MU recruits tight end Andrew Jones out of Smithville, defensive end Alden Smith out of Raytown and running back Drew Temple out of Rockhurst are the Nos. 3, 6 and 11-rated players in Missouri according to Rivals.com.

Kansas City Star

Gary Pinkel, Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Gary Pinkel, Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

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It's Not!

There are too many teams called the Tigers

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Thieves...nah just kidding. Until signing day verbal committments mean nothing.

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Yeah. Tigers is a give up. You'd think when they went to picking names 90 or 100 years ago, they'd take their time, look around, pick a name indigenous to the area.

You know, like Bobcats, Cowboys, Eagles or Hawks.

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From now on...I will assign nicknames to schools that have redundant mascots.

This ones for you Hova:

St. Johns Riders of the Red Storm

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It makes no difference until Feb 6 if then.

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The Wisconcin Beer Bloated Flatulants

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The Stanford Tree Huggers

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Man, that Ann Curry on the "Today Show" makes my pants go crazy.

Is it just me, or is she pretty hot?

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"There are too many teams called the Tigers" The Truth

This is the first time I agree with you Mrs. The Truth. Too many Tigers.

Gary Pinkel is going to have Missouri playing for the NC in a few years. This guy is a class act all the way, and a very good football coach also.

He is the "anti-Saban" if you will. Both Pinkel and Saban were at my alma mater, Univ. of Toledo, where Saban stayed for one year, and Pinkel stayed for 8, and left the U of T stacked with talent.

And by the way, nobody can EVER claim Ohio State's mascot it "redundant."

A hairless, poisonous nut is about as unique as it gets! ;)

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Ann Curry? YUMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!! also have a jones for Betty Ngyen on CNN

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I personally love the uniqueness of some college football teams...YES Buckeyes,,,,good..Cornhuskers..Hokies....Sooners....Tar Heels....

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I wish the media would stop using the word steal in regards to recruits. These are people, not objects.

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I wish the media would stop using words....

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Thanks Truth. I am going to pass that on to Father Harrington. Maybe he and some big pocket Alumnus might like it.

I'm too broke to be a big pocket Alumnus but I know a few.

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Riders of the Red Storm. I love it. I wish we kept Redmen but that's just me.

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The Missouri Tigers are named after a band of militia that wore black and gold arm bands and protected Columbia from raiders and thieves, or as they were called during the civil war, "Jayhawks". (Yes, they were from Kansas!) Our mascot has one of the more historically based origins in college football. I doubt if the other Tigers such as Clemson, Auburn, LSU, and Memphis can lay such a claim.

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actually the name the tigers isnt because we were lazy. the nickname came from the pre civil war days when missourians burned lawrence kansas to the ground over popular sovreignty... were not pro slavery anymore... so it actually has some purpose.

But the important thing is that this represents that missouri has not only arrived on the national stage as a one or two year wonder, but that they will be great for years to come. For so long the best players from St. Louis and Kansas City would skip right over Missouri and look to the rest of the nation. Blaine Gabbert, Andrew Jones, and Wes Kemp represent a change in the states mindset.

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wow we wrote that like simultaniously

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Good to see other Mizzou fans that know the basis for the mascot. It''s also good to see that Coach P is closing the borders on the recruits. One or two blue chip o-linemen to go with the wideouts and tightends we are getting and Blaine Gabbert will be a Heisman candidate as well.

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Looks like one blue chip o-lineman has commited to Mizzou. Dan Hoch a 6'6" 302lb #1 overall recruit from Iowa has de-commited to Nebraska and commited to the Tigers. I never thought I would see the time when midwest players chose the Tigers over the Huskers. Life is good.

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