Missouri lands top defensive tackle

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson of St. Louis is headed to Missouri after all. And should his desire to play offense full-time come true, opponents could be faced with the prospect of trying to tackle a nearly 300-pound tight end.

The 6-foot-4, 290-pound lineman from Gateway Tech leads a group of 25 recruits to sign with the Tigers on Wednesday. Richardson unofficially committed to Missouri before his senior year of high school but visited Miami over the weekend, largely because the Hurricanes suggested that Richardson could catch passes.

The roster of recruits released by Missouri lists Richardson as a tight end. Coach Gary Pinkel said that if tight end is where Richardson wants to play, he will honor that wish.

"Look at our program. We've never made a player play where he didn't want to," Pinkel said. "He's a tremendous athlete. I have four assistant coaches to fight over him."

In high school, Richardson played defensive line, tight end and fullback. He even returned punts. Recruiting services ranked him as the state's top prospect and one of the top defensive linemen in the country.

The Tigers also signed two quarterbacks as they look for a successor to Chase Daniel, who rewrote the school's record books while helping to elevate the program to national prominence during four seasons in Columbia.

Both Blaine Dalton of Blue Springs and Ashton Glaser from Springdale, Ark., enrolled early and are already on campus taking classes. They will compete with Blaine Gabbert, who could have the inside track to a starting job after backing up Daniel.

Of the 25 recruits, 10 are from Missouri and seven from Texas, a recruiting hotbed where Pinkel sends five of his assistants to scour for new talent.

"The state of Missouri is our lifeblood," Pinkel said. "That's No. 1. We also know that Texas is a state that has huge numbers of athletes."

Among the Texans is 5-9, 185-pound running back Kendial Lawrence, who led the Dallas area with nearly 2,700 yards rushing and 43 touchdowns in his senior season while playing in a spread offense similar to Missouri's system.

Missouri returns just two scholarship running backs, junior Derrick Washington and sophomore De'Vion Moore. Earlier this week, running back Drew Temple of Kansas City -- the younger brother of former Tigers rusher Tony Temple -- said he was quitting the team for personal reasons.

One running back whom the Tigers didn't land was Ronnie Wingo of St. Louis University High. Wingo, who signed with Arkansas, recently had hinted he might change his mind and remain closer to home.

Such last-minute maneuvering by Wingo, Richardson and other top high school players is increasingly common on the recruiting trail, Pinkel said. That's just one reason he favors a December early signing period, a movement gaining support among his coaching peers.

"It would let some kids who have reservations rather than commitments stand up and decide what they want to do," Pinkel said.

Pinkel spoke at a news conference inside the Clinton Club, a meeting place for athletics donors and other university boosters. A crowd of about 50 fans joined reporters to get the latest news on the 2009 recruiting class.

"Sometimes they know more about it than I do," Pinkel said, referring to growing fan interest in the college choices of 18-year-olds. "I can walk into [a store] to get a cup of coffee, and 15 people ask me about a [high school] player.

"Recruiting has changed a lot in the past few years. ... Sometimes it gets a little ridiculous."