Elite 2022 wide receiver Luther Burden picks Missouri
What has long been a glimmer in the eyes of Missouri fans became reality on Tuesday when East St. Louis (Ill.) wide receiver Luther Burden committed to the Tigers.
“I’m 100 percent locked in … Mizzou is where I want to be,” Burden said after announcing at his local Boys and Girls club in East St. Louis. He initially picked up Alabama and Georgia hats before tossing them aside and putting on the Tigers’ cap.
Burden, the No. 90 overall player in the 2022 On300 rankings, chose Missouri over both Georgia and Alabama in a ceremony Tuesday evening. He is far and away the highest profile local recruit in recent memory to choose the Tigers and arguably their biggest skill position land since Dorial Green-Beckham in 2012.
He visited the Tigers multiple times over the summer when he was committed to Oklahoma, but ultimately he backed off that pledge in August. Missouri and Georgia immediately shot to the top of the list, and he took an unofficial visit to Columbia on October 9. He tripped to Georgia for a second time the very next weekend. But the allure of playing close to his family was ultimately too much for the Bulldogs to overcome.
He said he’ll enroll in January and be on campus for the Tigers’ spring practices. His addition adds an immediate injection of talent that Missouri desperately needs at the skill positions to compete in the SEC.
Through eight games this season, Burden has caught 44 passes for 738 yards and 15 touchdowns — and also handles punts and kickoffs and has five touchdowns on returns.
Luther Burden gives Missouri its crown jewel in 2022
The 6-foot, 200-pound Burden has long been thought of as the cherry on top of a very talented local 2022 class. Eight players from Missouri are ranked in the On300. The Tigers have the top in-state player committed with Lebanon High offensive lineman Tristan Wilson (No. 79). And they now add Burden, who originally hails from the Show-Me State but plays across the river in Illinois. His pledge gives head coach Eliah Drinkwitz five commits in the On300 and moves the Tigers’ class to No. 14 nationally and No. 5 in the SEC.
He joins On300 wide receiver JaMarion Wayne and speedy three-star Mekhi Miller in the Tigers’ future receiving corps. But beyond his obvious talent on the field, Burden’s commitment gives Drinkwitz and Co. a great sales pitch to local recruits. And there are a number of them in the 2022, 2023 and 2024 classes that Missouri will pursue heavily. Uncommitted EDGE DJ Wesolak (No. 135) and Baylor commit Kaian Roberts-Day (No. 226) remain big targets in this year’s class.
Burden’s commitment highlights Missouri’s recent local success
One of Drinkwitz’s biggest priorities when he took the job in late 2019 was keeping local players well … local. He did so in the 2021 class, landing four-star quarterback Tyler Macon, four-star wide receiver Dominic Lovett, and four-star EDGE Travion Ford from the St. Louis area. That trend has continued into the 2022 cycle, with nine (counting Burden) commits from Missouri or just outside its borders in Illinois and Kansas, respectively. And particularly in St. Louis, Burden’s commitment has the chance to make major waves in the next few classes.
In 2023, Luther Burden’s high school teammate Miles McVay, a consensus four-star offensive lineman, tops Missouri’s wish list. McVay told On3’s Jeremy Johnson that the two have talked extensively about playing at the same school in college. And the impact of Burden’s commitment could even stretch in the 2024 class. St. Louis University High receiver Ryan Wingo is projected as one of the top players in the country, regardless of position. Time will tell how much Missouri can build on Tuesday’s result, but the buzz being built on the recruiting trail is palpable.