Akial

Byers

Also on the injury report for the Armed Forces Bowl are starting safety Martez Manuel, satrting TE Nike Hea and offensive linemen Bobby Lawrence and Zeke Powell. Manuel is the leading tackler for Missouri this year and is probably the biggest absence for the Tigers.

ESPN’s Craig Haubert deems Byers to be “a rare sleeper in this day and age of recruiting.” The analyst notes that the 6-foot-4, 265-pounder “displays the tools to create problems as an interior pass rusher not just because of his get-off, but [because he also] demonstrates good hips and flexibility to be able to attack.” Byers ranks as the No. 66 overall prospect on the ESPN 300. He stands as their 10th commitment from that master list, joining the likes of RB Najee Harris, T Alex Leatherwood and QB Tua Tagovailoa.

“With the athleticism he possesses and the versatility he could bring to Alabama’s front, we could see Byers developing into a player similar to current talented Crimson Tide defender Jonathan Allen,” Haubert wrote. Lofty lofty lofty. Haubert believes the 6-foot-4, 265-pounder -- No. 66 overall on the ESPN 300 -- to be a legitimate sleeper recruit. “Byers is a prospect who hasn’t garnered as much attention as some other top-100 prospects,” Haubert noted, “but his film shows a very promising player.”

With academics barring Byers from Alabama, he is now expected to begin his collegiate career in the JUCO ranks at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. ESPN ranks the 6-foot-4, 265-pounder as the No. 151 overall prospect in the current cycle. While the Crimson Tide are still a strong favorite to end up with the No. 1 recruiting class in the country when all is said and done, Byers’ exit is not a minor loss. Over the summer, ESPN’s Craig Haubert forwarded the belief that Byers has a developmental ceiling similar to that of Jonathan Allen.

Byers had been committed to Alabama back in January, but he was unable to enroll at the university due to academics and actually signed with Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in February. He evidently shored up the school side of the equation, as he landed with Missouri two months later. And it could be a grand get for the Tigers. ESPN’s Sam Kahn Jr. writes that the 6-foot-4, 256-pounder “has the type of ability that could allow him to contribute quickly.” ESPN ranked him as the No. 151 prospect in the 2017 cycle -- making him Mizzou’s highest ranking player in their 2017 class. Kahn colleague Craig Haubert believes he has a similar developmental ceiling to Jonathan Allen.

Byers (6'4/256) was a four-star recruit in the most recent recruiting class. He had been committed to Alabama into January, before academics scuttled those plans for Tuscaloosa. He subsequently dropped down to a JUCO program for two months before reemerging to sign with Missouri in late April. Consider his current loss to injury a depth blow for the Tigers.