August 23, 2023
The five-star defensive lineman has a litany of elite traits that are reminiscent of past d-line superstars at Missouri

On Monday, five-star defensive lineman Williams Nwaneri verbally committed to Missouri for the class of 2024. The Lee’s Summit, Missouri native became the highest-rated recruit to commit to the Tigers since Dorial Green-Beckham in 2012. 

Nwaneri’s commitment is one of the most important moments in recent Missouri football memory. In fact, when Nwaneri made his decision live on national television, Missouri head football coach Eli Drinkwitz dropped a baseball bat, tackled an assistant coach and hugged another assistant coach with both of his feet off the ground.
Much has already been said about Nwaneri’s pedigree; the five-star rating, the statistics, etc. But on the field, what actually makes Nwaneri such a tantalizing force on the defensive line?

For one, Nwaneri is gigantic; he’s listed at 6 foot 5 inches, 250 pounds on 247 Sports’s website. Those measurements are similar to that of Kansas City Chiefs’ rookie defensive lineman and fellow Lee’s Summit native Felix Anudike-Uzomah, who tore up the Big 12 at Kansas State en route to a first-round selection. 

Like Anudike-Uzomah, Nwaneri combines elite measurables with a ferocious style of play. His arsenal of rushing moves didn’t seem incredibly deep on film. However, that was mostly because he doesn’t need to do anything special to create negative plays. Nwaneri was bigger, faster and more nimble compared to his high school competition; he usually needs just one move to leave an o-lineman in the dust. When Nwaneri wins a rep – which happens quite often –  he usually wins with either a chop, swim move or by simply pile-driving an o-lineman into the ground. Heck, there were a handful of times where he’d just run past an o-lineman for a sack or a tackle for loss. 

Nwaneri is also incredibly versatile; it appears as if he can play all over the defensive line. Nwaneri said it himself, calling himself “positionally flexible.” He’s big enough to play inside and athletic enough to play outside. He’s able to cover ground like someone who’s far shorter and lighter than he is. Nwaneri will give defensive coordinator Blake Baker a lot to work with.

Elsewhere, Nwaneri’s awareness is exceptional. He registered a handful of pass breakups, and on special teams, he blocked a few punts and field goals. Altogether, Nwaneri is one of the most complete high school defensive lineman in recent memory. 

“I haven’t seen anything like it in high school,” Lee’s Summit North High School football head coach Jamar Mozee said of Nwaneri. “It is different.”

Quite simply, there aren’t too many holes to poke in Nwaneri’s game. A deeper rushing arsenal will likely be required at the collegiate level, so the hope is that Nwaneri can show off more counters during his senior season. The only unknown is how much of Nwaneri’s dominance in high school can translate to the SEC. What is known, however, is that Nwaneri is different, and oftentimes, being different translates to immense success.

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