Mizzou Central

Mizzou Misses out on 4-Star CB To Border State School

The Tigers have missed out on another highly-ranked recruit, this one from close to home.

Michael Stamps

Belleville cornerback Nick Hankins Jr. on his official visit to Illinois.
Belleville cornerback Nick Hankins Jr. on his official visit to Illinois. / via @nickhankins113 on X
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The Missouri Tigers have suffered another recruiting loss, missing out on four-star cornerback Nick Hankins to the Illinois Fighting Illini. This is the second four-star prospect Missouri has missed out on over the last week.

Hankins, from Belleville, Illinois, is ranked as the No. 352 player in the country and No. 28 of all cornerbacks. He's also No. 10 in the state of Illinois.

It seemed as if Hankins was deciding between the Tigers, Illinois, Ole Miss, Iowa and Tennessee. Illinois and Missouri appeared to be in a heated recruiting battle, but Hankins ultimately stayed in his home state.

He was on campus in Columbia for the first slate of official visits, getting to town on May 30 and leaving on June 1. Hankins once received a prediction to land with the Tigers, but it was pretty clear after his official visit to Illinois from June 6-8 that he would end up there.

Outside of landing four-star linebacker Keenan Harris, who also has experience at safety, the Tigers haven't had much luck adding to their secondary. However, four-star safety Jayden McGregory and three-stars Tony Forney and Jowell Combay could change that.

2026 Commitments

  1. QB Gavin Sidwar, 6-foot-3, 190 lbs. - Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania (Committed 04/18/25)
  2. LB Keenan Harris, 6-foot-1, 210 lbs. - St. Louis, Missouri (Committed 05/23/25)
  3. WR Jabari Brady, 6-foot-1.5, 205 lbs. - Pompano Beach, Florida (Committed 06/06/25)
  4. TE Isaac Jensen, 6-foot-6, 230 lbs. - Omaha, Nebraska (Committed 06/09/2025)

Check out the Missouri football recruiting tracker to stay up to date with the 2026 recruiting class and beyond.

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Michael Stamps
MICHAEL STAMPS

Michael Stamps is attending the University of Missouri pursuing a degree in journalism. He joined Missouri Tigers On SI as a recruiting writer in 2023, but his beats have subsequently included football and basketball, plus recruiting. Michael is from Papillion, Neb.

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