Mizzou's Pinkel speaks to GKCFCA coaches

Dion Clisso/PrepsKC

By Dion Clisso PrepsKC Managing Editor
Posted: May 7, 2012 - 12:58 PM



The University of Missouri has been one of the most successful football programs in the country over the last seven seasons and a lot of that success has been built with players from the Kansas City Metro.
The Missouri coaching staff led by Head Coach Gary Pinkel spoke to the Greater Kansas City Football Coaches Association Wednesday at its final clinic of the year and shared some of the concepts and strategies that have made the Tigers one of the top programs in the country.
Pinkel was joined by offensive coordinator David Yost and receivers coach Andy Hill. After Pinkel spoke to the group on some of the Missouri’s staff’s core concepts he said having a chance to share what he has learned over the years made this opportunity to speak to the coaches of Kansas City special.
“It’s certainly all about relationships,” Pinkel said. “For me to be able to come back and sit down with coaches in a very casual atmosphere with guys that want to learn it means a lot to me. It’s me getting out and being around them and I really enjoy doing that.
“Unfortunately in college football now they have some rules and regulations that I can’t get very often in the high schools. I was in Jacksonville last night, I was in Dallas. I’ve been all different places but when they said I could do this I said I was going to find time to do this because this is a priority.”
As the Tigers move from the Big XII to the SEC this summer the thought was that they might be hurt in recruiting in the Metro. Just the opposite has happened as last weekend Missouri picked oral commitments from Lee’s Summit West linebacker Nick Ramirez and Staley quarterback Trent Hosick to be a part of the next recruiting class after the 2012 season.
Pinkel said he knows that Kansas City will continue to be an important part of Missouri’s success as it moves to the new conference.
“Nothing changes, the fact is though for us, the SEC has been a real plus for us,” Pinkel said. “During October of last year when all of the sudden we found out we were switching leagues and all of the players had committed to us at that point were going to the Big XII and then all of the sudden they are going to the SEC we lost some players. Now that we have been in recruiting it has been a real plus for us.
“I don’t think anything changes here. We will hopefully eventually play KU again when people calm down a little bit and play them every year. Hopefully we will play them in Kansas City. Really we are just proud to be a part of the best league in the nation. I understand it’s going to be really competitive and I want the best players in Missouri to stay here.”