4 star recruit Akial Byers flips commit from Alabama to Mizzou
On the same day that that Alabama recruit James Foster committed to Missouri, former Alabama commit Akial Byers flipped from the Crimson Tide to the Tigers.
The four-star defensive tackle from Fayetteville, Arkansas, visited Columbia during Mizzou’s Black and Gold game. Byers, who also had offers from Oklahoma, Ohio State, Florida State, and Ole Miss, had originally committed to play for Alabama.
For Missouri, this means that Byers could transition from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, and into the fold of Missouri’s defense in 2017.
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If Byers is eligible to play in 2017, he will be another building block toward the return of “D-Line Zou,” and will shore-up the Tigers’ defensive line against some of the SEC’s best running games.
Last year, the Missouri defense struggled early in the season, especially against opponents with the prototypical running back.
According to ESPN, Byers is the No. 13 recruit at defensive tackle in the country, and is also ranked first in the state of Arkansas.
I love a good defense, and a big run game. While the latter isn’t typically Missouri’s style, running backs Damarea Crockett and Ish Witter are causing the norm at Mizzou to evolve.
What excites me about the addition of Byers, is that he reminds me of former NFL defensive end, sans legal issues, Greg Hardy. Byers has a high motor, and attacks at the line of scrimmage using his size and speed to his advantage over offensive linemen.