Tag: Luther Burden

Way too early 2024 SEC Football Power Rankings

The Sooners and Longhorns are making the jump to the SEC in 2024, so where do they land in our way-too-early power rankings?

In 2024, college football will look like nothing we’ve ever seen. Conference realignment did plastic surgery to the game we’ve grown up with.

The Pac-12 is essentially gone as Oregon, USC, Washington, and UCLA move to the Big Ten. The Big 12 added Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah. Stanford and Cal are off to the ACC, along with SMU getting a promotion from the AAC. The SEC is adding Texas and Oklahoma.

The College Football Playoff is expanding to 12 teams, coming off its most competitive four-team version.

All of this is happening in 2024.

It’s a new era of college football. For the SEC, the Sooners and Longhorns are coming off of double-digit win seasons and Texas made the playoff. But how do they stack up against their future SEC counterparts?

Here’s a look at our way-too-early SEC power rankings.

Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden ‘is set to play’ against Vols

Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden “is set to play” against the Vols.

Sophomore wide receiver Luther Burden III is reportedly expected to play for Missouri against Tennessee on Saturday.

“Missouri star wide receiver Luther Burden, whose status has been in question heading into the Tigers’ top-15 matchup against Tennessee, is set to play against the Vols, sources tell On3 Sports,” Matt Zenitz of On3 announced.

The 5-foot-11, 208-pound Burden III has recorded 64 receptions, 958 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns in 2023.

He suffered an injury against Georgia last week.

Kickoff between the Vols and Tigers on Saturday is slated for 3:30 p.m. EST. CBS will televise the Southeastern Conference East matchup.

READ: Missouri football releases Week 11 depth chart ahead of playing Tennessee

READ: Tennessee football releases Week 11 depth chart ahead of playing Missouri

Five reasons Auburn could struggle against Missouri

Missouri could pose more of a challenge than some might think. We break down five reasons Auburn could struggle on Saturday.

For the first time in their brief history, the Auburn Tigers will host Missouri at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

The all-time series history between these two SEC schools dates back to the 1973 Sun Bowl. Missouri won that matchup 34-17 and they wouldn’t meet again until the 2013 SEC Championship game. They played each other again in 2017 in Columbia, Missouri. Now, Auburn gets a chance to be the host in this matchup.

When you look at the resumes for both teams, they are eerily similar. Both teams have wins over an FCS opponent (Auburn vs Mercer, Missouri vs Abilene Christian). Both teams defeated Group of Five teams (Auburn vs San Jose State, Missouri vs Louisiana Tech). And finally, both teams lost to a Power Five team by 28+ points.

Both of these teams are in the bottom half of the SEC in terms of scoring offense and scoring defense. This isn’t a “must-win” game but it certainly is an important game, especially for Harsin.

With a lot on the line for this game on Saturday, Auburn Wire breaks down five reasons why the Tigers could struggle as the home favorite this week.

Where the decommits from Oklahoma’s 2022 recruiting class ended up

Where did the players go that decommitted from the Oklahoma Sooners 2022 recruiting class?

While the 2022 recruiting class ended up as a top 10 group, it’s hard not to look back and consider what could have been. Though it’s no fault of the current coaching staff, assistant holdovers included, the Oklahoma Sooners had quite a few decommits, even from Lincoln Riley’s tenure as the head coach, that negatively impacted the 2022 class.

Over the last year and a half, the Oklahoma Sooners lost commitments from three five-star players, four four-star players, and one three-star player. They’ve seen them go to current and future conference foes. Notably Texas, TCU, and Oklahoma State nabbed once-Oklahoma Sooners commits. If the Sooners move to the SEC sooner rather than later, they’ll face players that ended up at Missouri and Texas A&M.

While the Oklahoma Sooners are moving forward after rebuilding their 2022 class creating momentum toward National Signing Day, let’s take a look at where former Oklahoma commits ended up after the early signing period.

Recruiting roundup: Checking out the 2022 recruiting class and other notes

Where do the Oklahoma Sooners stand with certain players in the 2022 recruiting class?

The Oklahoma Sooners are riding a lot of momentum as the calendar has flipped to November. They are undefeated, ranked in the top eight of every major ranking, and can currently boast a top 10 recruiting class.

While the on-field product has been good and still has the potential to be great this season, great programs don’t just neglect the other part of the team. Recruiting is the lifeblood of college sports. Especially college football despite what Florida head coach Dan Mullen might suggest.

It’s a 365 days a year job and it never stops.

Despite some hiccups, the Sooners are closing in on another top 10 class for the 2022 recruiting cycle. We would seriously be talking about a top 3 class had they not lost a top 10 national recruit in Luther Burden earlier this year. They also lost Jordan Hudson and Talyn Shettron as well.

However, the Sooners picked up the slack in terms of sheer star power and talent by their October run landing two of this senior’s class best talents in Gabriel Brownlow Dindy and Gentry Williams according to the USA Today Sports High School Composite Player Rankings.

With an early signing day of December 15th, the Oklahoma Sooners can put pen to paper and close the deal for good by having many guys sign and send in their National Letters of Intent.

As it currently stands, Oklahoma’s well on its way to locking down their 2022 class as no one currently looks like a surprise flip to somewhere else at the moment with a month to go.

However, there are a few recruits who could still jump on board namely guys like Jovontae Barnes, Hero Kanu, Marvin Jones Jr., Azareyeh Thomas, and Chris McClellan.

Jovontae Barnes, a running back from Las Vegas is set to visit Oklahoma for the Iowa State game. He plans to silently commit and announce his decision at one of the winter All-Star games in January. The Sooners are in an excellent spot here if you’ve followed our coverage over the months.

Hero Kanu, a defensive lineman originally from Germany, but playing football in California, is another huge possibility for the Sooners here. Judging things right now, this seems like it may be down to Oklahoma and Ohio State, which may be a theme for Oklahoma over the next few months on the recruiting trail.

Marvin Jones Jr. plays with 2023 Sooners commit Brandon Inniss. The chance is there for them to play in college as well. Jamar Cain is on the prowl and is positioning Oklahoma to be right in the thick of it over the coming months in a battle with Alabama and Florida State for the highly talented edge rusher.

Azareyeh Thomas popped onto the scene after a visit a few weeks ago and Oklahoma is trending well enough to have garnered multiple crystal ball predictions on 247’s site. Thomas is listed as an athlete but looks to be playing safety if he plays for the Sooners.

Most, if not all of these guys will be names to monitor in the coming months as letters of intent begin to get signed and as players end their high school seasons, allowing them to focus solely on their recruiting journeys as their senior football seasons come to an end.

USA TODAY High School Sports recruiting rankings Power 5 spotlight: SEC

See the top 10 high school football recruits committed to SEC schools.

As recruiting for the high school football class of 2022 ramps up, more and more NCAA schools are seeing who may be its superstars of the future. And with the early signing period nearing and national singing day on the horizon, the intrigue and conversations will expectedly increase.

So to keep updated on the latest, we’re taking a look at the top recruits in each of the Power 5 conferences, according to the USA TODAY High School Sports Composite Player Rankings, which averages the grades from the three biggest recruiting services: 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals. 

First up is the SEC, a conference absolutely loaded with talent from the class, boasting 10 five-star prospects and 73 four-star players as of Nov. 3.

Here’s a look at the top-10 ranked players…

(Note: The recruit’s measurements and position are courtesy of 247Sports.)

5-star Luther Burden’s commitment to Missouri is icing on a strong class

Luther Burden committed to Missouri football, adding a five-star playmaker to the Tigers’ strong class of recruits.

On top of everything else that makes the SEC so difficult to compete in, Missouri football has struggled to recruit as well as its peers in recent years.

Last year, Mizzou picked up a pair of four-star recruits but was ranked the No. 11 class in the conference. That was actually an improvement, breaking a five-year streak in which the Tigers finished 13th in the conference, a stretch in which they got four total four-star players.

With the commitment of five-star wide receiver Luther Burden, ranked on the 247Sports Composite as the No. 5 player in the class, second-best receiver and top player in Missouri, Mizzou is staring down its competition.

The Tigers have six four-star commits, as many as they had in the previous six years combined, and are getting contributors on both sides of the ball. With a quarterback, running back, two wide receivers and offensive lineman all ranked as four-star players or better, this may be the offensive foundation for the next three years. On the other side of the ball, a four-star safety and four-star defensive lineman join the group.

There is still much recruiting to be done, but Missouri’s class is ranked by 247Sports as the fifth-best class in the SEC and 14th in the nation, massive step-ups from years past.

Burden, who committed on Tuesday, makes plays on offense and special teams. In 13 games over this season and last, he has 81 receptions for 1,489 yards and 17 touchdowns, and has also returned kickoffs and punts this season. Just two days before his commitment, Burden caught two touchdown passes and returned a punt for another score.

He turns this class from a good group into a great one.

5-star WR Luther Burden picks Mizzou over UGA, Bama

Five-star wide receiver recruit Luther Burden has committed to the Missouri Tigers over the Georgia Bulldogs and the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Elite five-star wide receiver recruit Luther Burden has committed to the Missouri Tigers over the Georgia Bulldogs and the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Burden is staying home, which is a breath of fresh air considering some of the concerning recruiting trends recently, but is a big blow to the Georgia recruiting class.

Burden, who is a member of the class of 2022, . The class’s No. 6 overall player, Burden, decommitted from the Oklahoma Sooners several months ago.

Luther Burden is playing for East St. Louis High School in East St. Louis, Illinois, which is located just across the state line.

Burden committed to Oklahoma nearly a year ago, but changed his mind this summer. Surprisingly the Sooners appear to be out of the picture for Burden.

Burden is the top-ranked recruit in Illinois and the second-ranked wide receiver recruit in the country.

Kirby Smart and Georgia football have 19 commitments in the class of 2022, and Georgia already has commitments from three wide receivers. UGA has the No. 3-ranked recruiting class in the nation. Alabama has the top-ranked class in the country. Missouri now has the No. 14-ranked recruiting class in the country.

The five-star wide receiver’s commitment to Missouri is a huge win for Tigers’ head coach Eli Drinkwitz:

Missouri is 3-4 on the season and is 0-3 in SEC play. The Tigers have a long way to go, especially defensively if they want to be a legitimate SEC East contender. Adding Luther Burden certainly helps Missouri’s cause.

Missouri travels to face UGA on Nov. 6.

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5-star WR Luther Burden rocking all black Georgia uniform ahead of commitment day

5-star WR Luther Burden looks good in that UGA uniform…

The Georgia Bulldogs are among the top three schools for five-star wide receiver Luther Burden, who is a member of the class of 2022.

The class’ No. 6 overall player and No. 2 ranked wide receiver decommitted from the Oklahoma Sooners in August.

Burden (East Saint Louis, IL) was in Athens over the weekend to watch the top ranked Bulldogs beat No. 11 Kentucky 30-13.

He looked to be enjoying himself based on this photo below of him decked out in an all black Georgia uniform overlooking an empty Sanford Stadium.

Burden plans to announce his commitment on October 19. He is choosing between Georgia, Missouri and Alabama.

5-star WR tweets he’ll be in Athens this weekend

The nation’s No. 6 overall player will be in Athens for UGA vs Kentucky…

Elite wide receiver recruit Luther Burden tweeted that he’ll be in Athens, Georgia this weekend when UGA hosts Kentucky.

The Georgia Bulldogs are among the top three schools for the five-star wide receiver who is a member of the class of 2022. The class’s No. 6 overall player recently decommitted from the Oklahoma Sooners.

Burden will be making his commitment on October 20.

Burden previously played high school football for Cardinal Ritter College Prep in St. Louis, Missouri. This season, Burden is playing for East St. Louis High School in East St. Louis, Illinois, which is located just across the state line.

Burden committed to Oklahoma nearly a year ago, but changed his mind this summer. Surprisingly the Sooners are no longer among the top schools for Burden.

Burden received major interest from powerhouse college football programs across the country. He is the top-ranked recruit in Illinois and the second-ranked wide receiver recruit in the country.

Kirby Smart and Georgia football have 17 commitments in the class of 2022, and Georgia already has commitments from three wide receivers. But there’s always room for an elite prospect. Burden would rank as Georgia’s top-ranked recruit in the class of 2022.