5-Star WR Luther Burden Commits to Missouri After Decommitting from Oklahoma

Photo credit: Chris Trevino, 247Sports

Five-star wide receiver Luther Burden committed to Missouri on Tuesday. 

The 6’2″ pass-catcher is one of the top players in the 2022 recruiting class. He’s the second-best wideout and No. 6 player overall.

Burden originally committed to Oklahoma but announced on Aug. 17 he was opening his recruitment back up:

While he was the standout receiver in the Sooners’ 2022 class, the program signed Mario Williams (No. 4 in 2021), Cody Jackson (No. 17) and Jalil Farooq (No. 21). They also got a commitment from Brandon Inniss, one of the best wideouts in 2023.

Head coach Lincoln Riley continued to have no shortage of depth in the passing game despite losing Burden.

But Oklahoma’s loss proved to be SCHOOL’s gain.

247Sports’ Allen Trieu evaluated the East St. Louis, Illinois, native in March 2020 and compared him to 2019 Pro Bowler Chris Godwin:

“Very good athlete who is also a standout basketball player. Has been productive in two varsity seasons. Shows the ability to make plays from all over the field. Can take screens and break long gains and can be a downfield receiver who wins contested passes. Long strider, very smooth and has excellent body control. Has not been verified as far as speed. Can still get more explosive in and out of his breaks. Still on the raw side as far as craft, but has great upside with his natural athleticism and competitiveness.”

Burden’s frame doesn’t make him stand out, but he’s excellent at getting his body in a position to snatch the ball out of the air. His time on the basketball court has probably helped in that area. He possesses home run ability as well.

Especially with the NCAA’s one-time transfer rule providing a little more autonomy to athletes, coaches aren’t hesitating to give true freshmen important roles within their team. Although Burden has room to grow on the field, he can also provide an immediate impact for the Tigers’ aerial attack in 2022.

Burden’s decision is a major endorsement of head coach Eli Drinkwitz.

Mizzou hired Drinkwitz after he spent just one season at the helm of Appalachian State. The Mountaineers went 12-1 under his watch in 2019, but some of that success could be credited to his predecessor, Scott Satterfield, for setting the table.

It was tough to draw any conclusions about Drinkwitz at Missouri, both because of the team’s 5-5 record and the unique challenges that come with staging a season during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Adding blue-chip recruits such as Burden will inevitably generate a lot of excitement within the fanbase.

Recruit rankings are courtesy of 247Sports.