Missouri football lands the big one -- receiver Green-Beckham

~ Hillcrest receiver Dorial Green-Beckham will wear black and gold

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Dave Yost was running a summer football camp for high school students in Springfield, Mo., five years ago when soft-spoken Dorial Green-Beckham showed up three hours early and introduced himself.

When Missouri's offensive coordinator asked Green-Beckham which high school he attended, Green-Beckham said he'd just finished seventh grade. Two years later, Yost offered him a scholarship at the ripe old age of 15.

"If he would have come out after one year of high school, we would have taken him," Yost said.

The 6-foot-6, 225-pound wide receiver from Hillcrest High School, one of the top prep recruits in the country, announced Wednesday that he will attend Missouri. The coaching staff found out along with everyone else as assistants huddled around TVs hoping the years of recruiting would pay off.

Hillcrest High School's Dorial Green-Beckham smiles after announcing that he will attend Missouri and play football during a national signing day news conference in Springfield, Mo., Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012. (AP Photo/News-Leader, Valerie Mosley) NO SALES

Missouri coach Gary Pinkel wasn't among them, but when he heard cheers down the hall, he knew Green-Beckham had decided to become a Tiger. Later, he watched a replay of Green-Beckham donning a Missouri cap.

"When he put that [hat] on there, he had a smile as big as can be and that place went crazy," Pinkel said. "That was awesome. Great moment for Mizzou."

Green-Beckham said he slept on his decision Monday night after a weekend visit to Columbia and he still felt the Tigers were the right decision Tuesday. He's looking forward to playing with quarterback James Franklin.

"I see myself coming in there and fitting in the offense real well," he said. "To have Franklin be able to move around in space and have more time to throw the ball, I feel real comfortable."

Green-Beckham highlighted a 19-member football recruiting class, the Tigers' first before opening play in the Southeastern Conference. Missouri also landed Evan Boehm, a 6-3, 290-pound offensive lineman from Lee's Summit, Mo., that Pinkel said was the highest ranked offensive lineman to choose Missouri since he's been the coach.

"You can win with Missouri kids, and you can win at a high level with Missouri kids, but you have to get the best Missouri kids," Yost said. "Having that guy in your state, it's a challenge, but you've got to get him is what it comes down to. There's no, ‘Well, we gave a good effort.' Bottom line is, you've got to get the guy."

Green-Beckman said he wanted to remain close to home and that the Tigers are the perfect fit. Green-Beckham said he built a close relationship with Pinkel and the rest of the staff during the recruiting process and that influenced his decision.

"I just stuck myself into the offense and pictured myself playing and seeing what opportunities we could have," he said. "The relationship with all of the coaches has been good growing up all through my high school career. The coaches have been great to me, so I enjoy the coaching staff."

Missouri will have T.J. Moe back at receiver, but Green-Beckham should have a chance to play right away. And he'll be doing it in the SEC, which boasts some of college football's toughest defenses.

"It's going to be a big change, a bigger atmosphere," he said.

In addition to signing players from Kansas City and Springfield, the Tigers landed three players from the St. Louis area, where Missouri has had difficulty making inroads in the past.

"I was so stuck on Missouri," said linebacker Donavin Newsom of Parkway North. "Since the eighth grade when I saw my first game, I wanted to go there. It wasn't a tough decision. We thought it would be good to stay close to home and the family."

Missouri's recruiting efforts have been scrutinized with the school's impending move to the SEC. Pinkel isn't concerned about how well his incoming players are rated.

"I never look at rankings, they're unimportant to us," Pinkel said. "I look at it as the rankings we have in our evaluation system. I talk about it every year, but that's what we do. That's how we build our program. We trust our system that's in place. And I would suggest it's working reasonably well."