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Many of the top talents who have graced the high school football fields of the Kansas City area over the past few years have already picked the location were the will take their talents for the next four or five years. With two weeks left until signing day, there shouldn't be much stressing in the halls of local schools, however you never know what can happen at the last minute.
Let's first look at the state of Missouri, were Evan Boehm, the number four player in the state according to Rivals.com, resides. Bohem, a 6'3" 290 lb offensive lineman from Lee's Summit West, picked the homestate Tigers over a host of offers that included both Kansas, Kansas State, and recent BCS Bowl participants Michigan, Stanford, and Wisconsin.
Boehm, who did an interview with ESPN here, is noted for his toughness as a run blocker, something that Mizzou will definitively need at they venture into the SEC.
Ranked one spot ahead of Boehm as the third overall prospect in the state is defensive tackle Ondre Pipkins of Park Hill in Kansas City. Pipkins, a U.S. Army All-American will be off to the Big Ten to play for Brady Hoke's Michigan Wolverines. The 6'3" 325 lb man in the middle also had offers from the three local schools in addition to defending National Champion, Alabama.
The fifth ranked player in Missouri is another young man who will be venturing the the Big Ten, that being Michael Rose of Rockhurst, who is heading to Nebraska. Rose becomes to second stand-out Rockhurst prep in recent years to go to the Big Ten, following quarterback Nathan Scheelhase who plays for Illinois.
At 6'0" 230 lbs, Rose plays middle linebacker and picked the Cornhuskers over the likes of Kansas, Iowa, Ohio State, and USC. Boehm and Rose both participated in the Under Armour post-season game.
Good news for Tigers fans as the number six overall talent decided to stay in-state as Staley High School's Morgan Steward will be heading to Columbia. The three-star running back is listed at 5'11" 182 lbs, and runs a 4.51 40 time. Steward committed to Missouri back in March, so his only other offer was from Northern Illinois. Backed by good power and vision, Steward should hopefully be in the backfield running behind Boehm for the next few seasons.
The 10th ranked player in Missouri is Steward's high school teammate, Nathanael Lohn. Lohn, a 6'3" 265 lb defensive end is one of the few preps in the area who hasn't come to a decision on what college he will be attending. According to Rivals, his final four choices consist of Iowa, Michigan State, Stanford, and Tulsa. Whichever program he chooses, Lohn will come in and be a run-stopper on the defensive line.
Quarterback Luke Knott of Lee's Summit West is the 14th ranked prep in the state and will be playing in the Big 12, only he is heading to Iowa State. The brother of talented Cyclones linebacker Jake Knott, the 6'1" 185 lb signal-caller picked ISU over an offer from South Dakota State. Again, having a very talented brother in Ames, it likely drove off some college coaches from heavily recruiting him. Knott will start off as a quarterback at Iowa State, but it wouldn't be a shock to see him switch to safety for Paul Rhoads.
King Frazier is the 17th ranked prep in Missouri and the 6'0" 200 lb prospect played for Lee's Summit. The three-star running back's only FBS offer is from Indiana, but he is listed as a heavy Nebraska lean on Rivals. Noted for his hands and speed, Frazier could be a guy who may pick up a late offer from one of the local schools as we get closer to signing day.
Rounding out the Top 20 in Missouri is Harrisonville's Travis Britz. The 6'4" 275 defensive tackle will be going to Kansas State to played for Bill Snyder's rejuvenated Wildcat program. The two-star committed in July after receiving an offer. Britz's high energy motor should help the K-State defense over the next few years.
There are some players who didn't crack the Top 20 in Missouri that have committed to FBS programs as well. Among them is Rockhurst defensive tackle Christian Eatherly. The 6'6" 270 lb lineman will be heading to New Orleans to play at Tulane. Eatherly choose the Green Wave over an offer from Northern Illinois. He is noted for his toughness and ability to take up space.
Moving across state lines and into Kansas, the third ranked prep in the Jayhawk State is Blue Valley West's Brian Beckmann. Listed at 6'6" 280 lbs, Beckmann will be heading to Kansas to take part in Charlie Weis' program. The three-star offensive lineman picked the Jayhawks over an offer from Kansas State. He'll likely play guard at the collegiate level.
Kansas State picked up another commitment in hometown product Deante Burton. The 6'2" 200 lb wide receiver choose the Wildcats in November and is the fourth ranked prep in Kansas.
The number five overall prospect is another wide receiver in Shawnee Mission East's Elliot Faerber. The 6'5" 208 lb prep will be heading to Illinois, and stuck with his commitment through a coaching change in Champaign-Urbana.
Rounding out the trio of receiver is the number six prospect, Sumner Academy's Vernon Vaughn. The 6'2" 190 lb receiver will be attending Kansas State and like Faerber, is noted for his hands.
Rob Riederer is the seventh ranked player in Kansas, and the 6'1" 204 lb Holton prep will be heading to Tulsa next season.
The ninth ranked prospect is Olathe East defensive end, Matthew Baltimore, who has verbaled to Northern Illinois. Baltimore is 6'4" 230 lbs and should benefit from a playing in a quality program like Northern Illinois.
Among those who didn't crack the Kansas Top 10 is Bishop Miege wide receiver Tre Parmalee. If that name sounds familiar, Parmalee is the son of former NFL player and current Chiefs tight ends coach Bernie Parmalee. The younger will be heading to Kansas, picking the Jayhawks over an offer from Northern Illinois. He is listed at 5'10" 160 lbs.
For more detailed coverage as we approach signing day, make sure to visit our dedicated area school websites-
Rock M Nation (Mizzou)
Rock Chalk Talk (Kansas)
Bring On The Cats (Kansas State)