Terry Beckner Jr. selects Missouri

ByJEREMY CRABTREE
February 4, 2015, 10:59 AM

— -- There's no place like home.

While Terry Beckner Jr. technically plays at East St. Louis (Illinois) High School, he's long considered the Missouri Tigers an "in-state school."

After a long recruitment that took the five-star defensive tackle on official visits to Florida State, Auburn and Ohio State, the No. 2 player in the ESPN 300 announced Wednesday morning on ESPNU that he was staying home to play for Mizzou.

"I just followed where my heart told me to go," he said after the announcement.

Beckner continues a long tradition of East St. Louis Flyers crossing the Missouri River to play for Gary Pinkel. The Tigers have always recruited the high school like it was an in-state school, especially since coach Darren Sunkett took over in 2008 and started producing Division I prospects on an annual basis.

Beckner has a chance to be the next great defensive linemen at two-time defending SEC East champion Missouri, following the likes of Aldon Smith, Sheldon Richardson, Michael Sam, Kony Ealy, Shane Ray and more.

RB Jamabo signs with UCLA:  Soso Jamabo said he always wanted to do his own thing.

So while most of the top high school football players in Texas will pick Lone Star State teams or stay in the Big 12, Jamabo announced he was signing with UCLA on Wednesday morning live on ESPNU.

Jamabo, the No. 28 player in the ESPN 300 out of Plano (Texas) West High School, pledged to the Bruins over Texas. Jamabo also visited Notre Dame and Texas A&M and had scholarship offers from more than 40 other programs.

In the end, he felt most at home with leaving home.

"Coach [Jim] Mora's got something great going on," Jamabo said after making his pick.

Earlier in the day, Mora received a pledge from Chris Clark (Avon Old Farms, Connecticut), a tight end ranked No. 111 in the ESPN 300. Along with No. 2 pocket passer Josh Rosen, who signed earlier this year, Jamabo and Clark help give the Bruins one of the best offensive classes in the country.

Jamabo is the nation's No. 4 athlete, but he projects at running back at UCLA. Over the past three years in one of the best high school football districts in Texas, Jamabo rushed for more than 5,000 yards and had 78 rushing touchdowns. He also had almost 1,000 yards receiving and seven touchdown receptions in his high school career.