Luther Burden, one of the top high school football prospects in the 2022 recruiting class, committed to Missouri football on Tuesday. Burden, who initially committed to Oklahoma in October 2020, decommitted from OU on Aug. 17. Exactly one month later, he named Missouri, Georgia and Alabama as his new finalists, and ultimately chose Missouri over the other SEC powerhouses.
Burden, who plays football for East St. Louis Senior High School in Illinois, is currently the nation’s No. 2-ranked offensive player (No. 8 overall) in the class of 2022, according to ESPN. He’s the top-ranked wide receiver, as well as the top-ranked player from the state of Illinois.
“Big recruits in St. Louis — they all go to places like the Georgias, the Alabamas,” Burden said during his announcement at the Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club. “I just want to start a trend here in St. Louis for the younger people with talent under me to stay home and take our talents to Missouri.”
Burden’s commitment gives Missouri a big boost to its already-strong 2022 recruiting class. He becomes the first five-star recruit of head coach Eli Drinkwitz’s tenure, who has already inked eight four-star recruits from the 2022 class.
After starting 2021 with a 3-4 record, including an 0-3 in-conference record, Burden’s commitment gives Missouri football fans a bright outlook on the future of the program.
Edited by Kyle Pinnell | kpinnell@themaneater.com
