Grant Jones (Photo from Don Shrubshell/Tribune)
The Mizzou Tiger football program received two commitments after their Junior Day which was Saturday, March 2nd. The commitments came from a pair of in-state products Grant Jones and Darnell Green-Beckham. The Tigers now have three commitments for their 2014 class.
Jones is listed as an athlete according to rivals.com. He plays tight end at Columbia Hickman High School. 247sports has Jones listed as a 3-star recruit and has him ranked as the No. 9 player in the state of Missouri. Jones is the son of Mizzou running back’s coach Brian Jones
"Today was a good day! #commitedtomizzou #beatthebruins #again #KewpiePride— Grant Jones (@g_jones07) March 3, 2013"
Darnell Green-Beckham (Photo from http://www.ozarkssportszone.com)
The second commitment was from Green-Beckham. He is the younger brother of Mizzou WR Dorial Green-Beckham and more importantly he was diagnosed with leukemia in 2011.
Green-Beckham is a WR listed at 6-2 and 175lbs. 247sports has Green-Beckham listed as a 3-star. He missed the entire 2011 season due to his leukemia treatments.
According to PowerMizzou.com, Green-Beckham will receive his final treatment in September 2013. After his final treatment, it’s unknown how fast he will be able to regain his physical form. He also missed a semester of school due to the treatments, so it’s likely that Green-Beckham won’t enroll at Missouri until January 2015. Green-Beckham also had an offer from Arkansas and had taken a visit to Oklahoma.
In an article written by PowerMizzou, Darnell’s father said the offer was based on his son’s ability and potential and it wasn’t based on his older brother.
The 2013 high school season could be interesting for Darnell. He did play in 2012 but he was no where near 100%. According to the article written on PowerMizzou, he would go to chemotherapy once a week and still go to practice. With his last treatment falling on September 11, 2013, he would have approximately two months left in his football season to regain his size and strength. Darnell might be able to show off his true athletic skills for the first time in three years once the playoffs roll around in November. Either way it’s a great story and you have to be rooting for a full recovery for Darnell over the next several months.