Luke Metz Talks Top-Six Schools, Where Missouri Stands
3-star LB Luke Metz from Mills Creek high school in Hoschton, Ga, announced his final-six schools in his recruitment, including the Missouri Tigers.
Metz is only ranked on 247Sports as the No. 54 linebacker in the country and No. 52 player in the state of Georgia.
Joining the Tigers on the list are Duke, ole Miss, LSU, Tennessee and Oklahoma. Each school, including Missouri, has stood out to him in some way.
Metz has plenty of other offers on the table, including Cincinnati, Indiana, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Mississippi State and Wake Forest. He ultimately chose those six schools for a wide array of reasons.
Here is what the Georgia native had to say about his final six schools.
Duke Bluedevils
The Bluedevils underwent a coaching change this offseason, bringing in former Penn State linebackers coach and Miami head coach, Manny Diaz.
Metz was in Durham when the Bluedevils took down Clemson, which holds a special place in his heart. They were also one of his first major offers.
"They were one of the first, big power-five schools to take a chance on me, which meant a lot," Metz said.
Ole Miss Runnin' Rebels
The competition level is important to Metz. Ole Miss, along with the other four schools on his list, all reside in the SEC.
"The SEC. I want to play with the best. You've got to play with the best to be the best," Metz said.
Metz is a big fan of head coach Lane Kiffin. He even said he reminds him of himself. Metz also stated that he respected Kiffin staying at Ole Miss when other jobs, Alabama perhaps, opened up.
LSU Tigers
Metz first received an offer from LSU's now defensive coordinator Blake Baker when he was still at Missouri. That has ramped up since Baker made the switch.
"I definitely like coach Baker. He offered me while he was at Missouri, and is recruiting me harder now that he's at LSU," Metz said.
He has a visit set up for March, 7 to head down to Baton Rouge.
Tennessee Volunteers
Metz first built his relationship with former linebacker coach Brian Jean-Mary, who has now accepted the same job at the University of Michigan.
The fanbase and brand of the Volunteers stands out to Metz, as he believes it's one of the biggest in the country.
Oklahoma Sooners
Metz officially picked up his offer from the Sooners just hours before cutting his list down. They had been talking to him for months and finally gave him the offer today.
"They've been recruiting me for months and months. I visited last month and it's special. The town doesn't even seem real," Metz said.
Missouri Tigers
The entire staff has been on Metz. Coach Smith even made a trip down to Mill Creek.
"He's preaching that I'm needed and not wanted," Metz said.
4-star Missouri signee Trajen Greco also attended Mill Creek High School with Metz last year, which is another driving force behind his interest with MU.
"I've texted with him nearly every other day," Metz said.
Metz also preached about the relationships he's developed with the Tigers' coaching staff. He says it's been hard with other teams to develop relationships, and Missouri has proven to do the opposite.
"My relationships are very genuine and real with the coaches. When it's SEC, it's transactional. It's hard to find genuine relationships in the SEC, and with Missouri it's been real," Metz said.
The Tigers also want Metz for his natural position at inside linebacker, but don't want to limit his functionality in the team. The coaching staff views Metz as an important piece to their future.
They don't want to keep me in a mold. They want me to be me and they want me to shape their defense," Metz said.
What's Next
Metz has no timeline for a commitment, but according to him, he's not afraid to pull the trigger. If a place stands out during his spring visits, he won't hesitate to decide on a school.
After he visits all the schools during spring visits, expect Metz to narrow his list down to one or two schools.
