Missouri will welcome in one of the best recruiting class in the country in 2026, led by five-star guard and McDonald's All-American Jason Crowe Jr.
Crowe is a top-five recruit and will headline a Mizzou class that is sure to inject some life into the Tigers next season. But while there's still plenty of time before the season begins, the star player from California is already looking at ways he can help Dennis Gates and Missouri.
"You know, they haven't had a player like myself," Crowe told 247Sports ahead of the All-American game. "Obviously, they've had some great talent, but they haven't had a player like me. I feel like I bring something different. Obviously, sometimes in the games, when you watch Missouri play this year, they had struggles scoring. And I feel like I score at such a high level that I could help with that — not just me scoring the ball, but just me making the right plays."
Jason Crowe is ready to come in and play for Dennis Gates and Mizzou
Crowe has no shortage of confidence that he can turn things around for the Tigers, who haven't been able to get much traction in March since Gates arrived. California's all-time scoring leader should be able to help, but that also means he needs to get some help too. The class also features two other top-100 recruits, and the transfer portal could bring some talented players to Columbia, but Crowe won't be able to do everything.
"Obviously, I can't get double-teamed as much as I was in high school, so you know, the help side is gonna be crazy. So just having guys like Aidan Chronister come in and Toni Bryant come in, I mean, they're gonna make the game easier for me. But I'm also gonna make the game way easier for them."
After losing Mark Mitchell, the Tigers will need to replace a lot of offense, and Crowe may just be the man for the job.
Both Crowe and Bryant will be playing in the McDonald's All-American game in Arizona on Tuesday.