After the SEC’s historic 14 teams out of 16 making the NCAA Tournament last season, there are plenty of expectations going forward for all of them. For some of the top programs, such as Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Auburn, and others, it won’t be as hard. However, for those who are usually in the mid or lower tier of SEC Basketball, the need to recruit well in both the high school and transfer portal is huge.
Just via the incoming freshmen class, nine SEC teams are ranked in the top-28 overall, per 247sportsComposite. Missouri isn’t one of them, with just two incoming freshmen. However, they loaded up on transfers and returns key forward, Mark Mitchell, for another year.
The Tigers plans for a year from now looks to go younger, focusing on the 2026 class. And they and Coach Dennis Gates are making some history of their own, based on the early results.
NEWS: Top-five recruit Jason Crowe Jr. has announced his commitment to Missouri, becoming the Tigers’ highest-ranked recruit since Michael Porter Jr. in 2017. Crowe, the No. 1 PG in the ESPN 100, led the EYBL in scoring and is arguably the best pure bucket-getter in the class. pic.twitter.com/18rv6H4lR6
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) July 18, 2025
The first pickup for Missouri Basketball in the 2026 class is Jason Crowe Jr., a 6’3 combo guard and No. 3 overall prospect. He’s the highest-ranked commit out of high school in program history and set to be a lead guard for the 2026-27 season.
Breaking: Toni Bryant, the No. 14 ranked player in the SC Next Top 100 for the Class of 2026, has committed to Missouri, he tells ESPN's @PaulBiancardi. pic.twitter.com/wM2Xyvi2PN
— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) September 8, 2025
The Tigers recently landed another top-30 commit in Toni Bryant, a 6’9 power forward and top-30 prospect. In different recruiting services, Bryant is also a five-star prospect, which would be the first time in Missouri Basketball history that they’d get two five-star talents in the same class.
For several SEC Basketball teams such as Kentucky, Arkansas, Alabama, and Auburn, getting five-star commits is more of a regular occurrence, hence why they consistently make the Big Dance. Yet Missouri is a program who has been off and on, making the NCAA Tournament a year after going winless in league play.
What Missouri is doing is huge in order to stay competitive in the SEC and nationally. Let’s see who could be the next big name the Tigers land.