Missouri Recruiting 2013: OT Clay Rhodes Commits To Tigers

Ranked as a three-star prospect by Rivals and Scout, the 6-6, 295-pound Rhodes chose Missouri over offers from Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Minnesota, Oklahoma State, Purdue, and Tulsa. The other two schools in his final three were Oklahoma State and Arizona State. He is the third offensive line commit in the 2013 class for the Tigers.

Rhodes had named Missouri as his leader ($) in recent days, noting that the fact Pinkel and his staff were the first to offer weight heavily with him:

Mizzou, they were the first team to offer. That was a great feeling because it’s a great program and they’re going to the SEC. It’s where I’m most comfortable at, and I have great relationships with both my position coaches, Coach (Bruce) Walker and (Josh) Henson. I’ve spent a lot of time on the phone with Coach (Gary) Pinkel, too. I’m already good friends with (current commits) Trent (Hosick), Nick (Ramirez), Harneet (Gill) and Alex (Abeln). They’ve been very supportive, and I’d like to play with those guys.

Rhodes will now have that opportunity.

He is considered an offensive tackle prospect because of his prototypical height, arm length, and agility to play the position at the next level. If there’s an area in which Rhodes needs to improve, it’s his strength and overall mass, as opposing defensive linemen can sometimes knock him backwards in his pass sets. The good news is that Rhodes has the frame to eventually play at well over 300 pounds without losing his athleticism. However, he will likely need a redshirt year and some time to develop before he is ready to contribute.

Clay Rhodes, Football, #72 (via SelectCollegeAthlete)