Gunner Kiel Spurns Mizzou, Others To Stay Home And Attend Indiana University

So much for the next great quarterback recruit for the Missouri Tigers. With an exclusive interview with 247Sports.com, hot quarterback prospect Gunner Kiel has unveiled his commitment plans to stay home and attend Indiana University in Bloomington, just a hop and a skip from his hometown of Columbus, Ind. The early word was that Kiel liked Mizzou as a final destination and the Tigers had made the cut among others schools like Alabama and Oklahoma.

Kiel was the No. 2 overall quarterback in the 2012 class for the National Football Post and his arm has been praised as elite by everyone from ESPN to every known scouting service. He threw for 36 touchdowns last season to go with over 2,600 yards and this season should bring even more accolades as he’s now clearly on the national radar.

With the departure of Tyler Gabbert, the job could belong to James Franklin for some time with only Corbin Berkstresser around to challenge for the role. Then again, it’s hard to tell what recruiting or transfers will bring from year to year, but Franklin has to be smiling on the inside.

Mizzou Football Recruiting: Tigers In On Top Rated Receiver Dorial Green-Beckham

Every team in the country would love to get their hands on Dorial Green-Beckham. Better yet, they'd love to get his hands in their offense. The country's top wide receiver recruit is also the top ranked recruit overall for Rivals, and luckily for Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel that Green-Beckham is an in-state product.

Green-Beckham is already drawing comparisons to household names like Randy Moss and elite prospects like A.J. Green, and for good reason. His size is elite, his hands are incredible and there's not a weakness to his game. Power Mizzou profiled the Springfield resident recently and noted Missouri's inside edge on recruiting:

Teams across the nation are drooling over the 6'6", 220-pound pass catcher, and for good reason. No receiver has been at the top of the Rivals rankings in the last few years, and Green-Beckham has drawn comparisons to A.J. Green, Julio Jones and even Randy Moss. His decision is a long way off, but Missouri is in strong position early, and should make Green-Beckham's final five when the cut is made sometime in June.

The Tigers should pursue as hard as they can considering the competition: Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Ohio State, USC and Alabama are all in the mix with a dozen other schools submitting offers. The reason everyone is vying for the Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year is the overwhelming mismatch he instantly creates. The last two seasons, Green-Beckham has over 3,300 receiving yards and 38 touchdowns -- ridiculous numbers at any level. Stephen Spiewak from MaxPreps.com notes the match-up issues when he writes:

His versatility as an athlete carries over to the football field as well. Green-Beckham can be a home run threat (or high school football's greatest decoy) on deep routes lined up at split end.  However, unlike many players his size, his speed and ability to make defenders miss allows him to be used as an underneath threat. He's a matchup problem for any opposing team, and needs to be accounted for on each down.

If Missouri grabs Green-Beckham, it instantly makes whoever wins the starting quarterback position -- most likely James Franklin after the transfer of Tyler Gabbert -- that much better. It also makes Gary Pinkel a happy man.

Mizzou Football Recruiting: Tigers In On QB Gunner Kiel

The recruiting trail is a long, hard-fought road where getting a kid to commit often takes years of visits, interviews, phone calls and fighting off other suitors just for the chance to have that prospect on your campus.Thus, as we track recruits, names will come and go with so many teams vying for the same players who are still so far away. Yet the drama itself is interesting to see how it plays out, as you wonder if Gary Pinkel can bring in some of the high-profile players that the Tigers are currently linked with.

To start at quarterback, Columbus, Indiana's Gunner Kiel has both the perfect name and the game to back it up. Power Mizzou describes the Tigers chances as unlikely since other powerhouse programs like Alabama are already in the mix along with in-state schools. Yet when you have a chance to bring in a talent like Kiel at quarterback, you stay in as long as you can:

Kiel, a four-star, is the first quarterback on the list, and he was also the first quarterback Missouri offered in its 2012 class. Kiel visited Missouri twice already -- once over last summer, and then for the Miami (OH) game in September. Going up against the likes of Alabama, Oklahoma, Notre Dame and the sleeper, Indiana, it's unclear exactly where Missouri stands at this moment.

For the record, Kiel is 6-4, 220 and ranked at No. 19 overall in the nation's prospects for 2012 by Rivals. Two months ago, Sports Illustrated did a feature on the 2012 class and fawned all over Kiel:

In what is shaping up to be a fantastic year for quarterbacks, Kiel gets the first nod as the best of the bunch. With good size, a strong arm, a quick release and good accuracy, Kiel has all of the tools. But he also has the intangibles. Kiel is a competitive, physical kid who can take a hit, deliver a hit and make plays with his feet if necessary. He exhibits the same kind of play-making ability that has been Andrew Luck's signature over the past two seasons at Stanford.

Missouri has enjoyed high caliber quarterback play over the last several years and James Franklin hopes to continue that legacy. Another awaits his chance in incoming freshman Corbin Berkstresser. Yet you might soon add one more name to that list in Kiel. But the drama still has to be played out before anyone should be too excited.