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Former five-star defensive lineman Williams Nwaneri will enter the transfer portal. Nwaneri just finished up his freshman season with the Missouri football team, and it wasn't a very eventful one. A lot of freshman don't make a lot of noise during year one, but because of the hype that Nwaneri brought in as a recruit, he was expected to make an immediate impact. That wasn't the case, and now he is moving on from the Tigers.
“Missouri five-star freshman EDGE Williams Nwaneri is entering the transfer portal, a source tells @CBSSports/@247Sports,” Matt Zenitz said in a post.
Williams Nwaneri finished this season with just two total tackles and one sack. He does have a lot of upside, however, and he will likely get a lot of attention in the portal because his high school rating.
Coming out of high school, Nwaneri was a five-star recruit according to 247 Sports. He was the #6 overall player in the 2024 class, the #2 DL and the top player in the state of Missouri. Nwaneri attended Lee's Summit North High School in Lees Summit, Missouri before coming to play for the Missouri football team this past season.
“Front-line star with rare combination of physical tools and verified athleticism,” 247 Sports' Gabe Brooks said of Nwaneri in his high school scouting report. “Elite height with huge hands and long arms. Played senior year in 6-6, 260 neighborhood and could easily get to 290-plus in college. Edge athleticism with true interior physical upside. Moved from an edge to a DL projection entering senior year and showed in Fall 2023 more reasons for that switch. Capable of playing in space with adequate dip-and-bend flexibility, but excels as a stack-and-shed assailant at the point of attack. Plays well through contact, increasingly as a senior.”
As you can see, Nwaneri came to the Missouri football program with a lot of hype. He was expected to be an instant playmaker in the college level and beyond, so it will be interesting to see if he can live up to that potential at a different school
“Displays wide pursuit range fueled by that aforementioned athleticism,” The scouting report continued. “Considerable height naturally raises center of gravity/compromises pad level in some situations. Plays at one speed at times and can change up his pacing to enhance pass-rushing nuance. Great production as a junior with 13 sacks, but dipped as a senior (6). Still developing technique and football awareness, but truly one of the elite defensive prospects in the 2024 cycle. Projects as a high-major impact player with the physical specs and long-term upside to become a Day 1 draft candidate.”
Now, Williams Nwaneri is moving on from Missouri and he will be searching for his second school in as many years. It will be intriguing to see how this recruitment goes for him compared to how his high school recruitment went.
