Mizzou football loses 4-star, in-state defensive line commit, who is headed to Oregon
Missouri football was dealt a recruiting blow on Thursday when one of its top in-state commits flipped to another school.
Tionne Gray, a 247Sports Composite four-star prospect from Hazelwood Central in St. Louis, announced he will instead plan on playing his college football at Oregon. Gray committed to the Tigers on March 18.
“After careful consideration, I have decided to de-commit from the University of Missouri,” Gray said in a social media post announcing his choice. “This is not a decision that I take lightly, however I must make the best decision for my life and football future.”
Gray had recently visited Oregon. He posted pictures of his trip to Eugene on social media Monday.
The 247Sports rankings placed Gray as the No. 34 defensive lineman nationally and the ninth best prospect in the state of Missouri for the class of 2024. He also held offers from Arkansas, Colorado and Illinois, among others.
The defection of Gray deals a setback to Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz’s strategy of keeping Missouri’s best talent in-state. He was also the highest-rated player from any state in MU’s 2024 class so far.
The Tigers currently hold three hard commitments according to 247, which include Daniel Kaelin, a quarterback from Nebraska, Ryan Jostes, an in-state offensive tackle from Washington, and Whit Hafer, a tight end from Joplin. All three are three-star prospects.
Fortunately for Missouri, it’s early in the recruiting cycle for the 2024 class. Still, the Tigers have the No. 12-ranked class in the SEC so far, with work still to be done.
According to 247, MU has the No. 48 overall recruiting class to date, which only includes committed players. Following the flip of Gray, Oregon ranks sixth overall.
Shocking nobody, MU’s SEC East rival Georgia, the two-time defending national champion, tops the rankings for all schools in the 2024 class. Tennessee is also in the top 10, sporting the No. 7 overall class so far.
Also on Thursday, MU defensive back Justin Efebera and tight end Gavin McKay both announced they were entering the transfer portal. That leaves more spots for MU to fill once the transfer portal reopens.
The Star has partnered with the Columbia Daily Tribune for coverage of Missouri Tigers athletics.
This story was originally published April 14, 2023 at 1:17 PM with the headline "Mizzou football loses 4-star, in-state defensive line commit, who is headed to Oregon."