The University of Missouri may not be ready to lay claim to the title of Tight End U. But Missouri has a strong track record recently of turning out top talent at tight end, something that added to the allure of becoming a Tiger for Alex Sanders.
Sanders, a former Glendale standout who finished high school in December, signed a National Letter of Intent on Wednesday to play at Missouri. He made his decision official alongside Glendale teammates Joey Mendel and Matt Swan, who both signed with Missouri State.
The 6-foot-5-inch, 205-pound Sanders will play tight end at Missouri and said he is excited to join a program that in recent years has produced a couple of the country's top tight ends --Martin Rucker, a first team All-American in 2007, and Chase Coffman, winner of the 2008 John Mackey Award, which goes to college football's top tight end.
It's awesome,
Sanders said. That's another reason why I chose Missouri, because you look at Rucker and Chase Coffman, and they're studs. They're both playing big time, and I like that.
Sanders, a three-star recruit according to Rivals.com, orally committed to Missouri in June, choosing the Tigers over Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri State and Vanderbilt.
He then had his senior season cut short by a knee injury, tearing his anterior cruciate and lateral collateral ligaments during a game in early October. But Sanders said Missouri's response to his injury helped assure him he had made the right college choice.
I was wondering, 'What's going to happen?'
Sanders said. And I got a call from (Missouri) the next day, and they said, 'Hey, everything's cool. Get in there, get surgery, get all fixed up, and be ready to go.' So it's awesome.
Sanders finished high school in December to head to Columbia a semester early. There, he has been rehabilitating from his injury under the watchful eye of Missouri's medical staff. He expects to be 100 percent by May.
I've been one of the fastest to recover, my trainer said. I started walking after three days,
Sanders said. I don't know what stage I'd say I'm at right now, but I'm definitely on the road to recovery.
