2026 WR Prospect Mason James Talks Relationship with Mizzou WR Coach, Recruiting Process

James has created a relationship with Missouri wide receivers coach Jacob Peeler and has taken notice of his ability to develop at the position.

Nov 30, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; A general view of a Missouri Tigers helmet against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the first half at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

2026 four-star wide receiver recruit Mason James has made a recent jump in recruiting rankings and luckily for the Missouri Tigers, James included them in his top-10 list of schools.

An important part to the Tigers landing in James' final list of programs is his relationship with the coaching staff, primarily wide receivers coach Jacob Peeler. Peeler, assistant wide receivers coach Keyan Williams, offensive coordinator Kirby Moore and head coach Eli Drinkwitz are all in touch with James, who's a native of Norman, Oklahoma.

“We've really just been in contact pretty much every day, me and coach Peeler and the assistant wide receiver coach,” James said. “I get to get on the phone with coach Drink every now and then, but I feel like I built a great relationship with a lot of their staff.”

As of late, Peeler has done a good job of developing his receivers and recruiting them at a high level. James would get the same opportunity with the Tigers as Peeler is coaching another talented receiver room.

“I can look at his track record like, dang, he's developed some pretty great receivers and that he's shown that from the past,” James said. “I think it'd be no different if I went there and his time to develop you would be really great, too. So I think the development piece is definitely there.”

For most high school athletes looking to play at the next level, developing a relationship with a coaching staff is a top priority. That's no different for James, who's had nothing but positive experiences with the Missouri coaching staff so far.

“So I'm really grateful for what they established with me and I'm glad we have a good relationship,” James said.

James announced his list of 10 schools on Feb. 19 on X, which did include the Tigers. Also on the list is Florida, Notre Dame, Washington, Kentucky, Michigan, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Kansas State and Arizona State.

The Norman native is the No. 222 player in the class of 2026, according to composite rankings, and has seen a jump on multiple national recruiting services in recent ranking updates. He is now ranked as the No. 36 receiver in the class and the best in Oklahoma.

Not one school leads the race for James at the moment. In some senses, his recruitment process is just getting started as teams begin their pitches during official visits. The completion of the official visiting process will commence the wind-down to a potential decision.

“Everyone's kind of like in the same playing field for me right now, that's pretty much why have them all in that same top 10 group here,” James said. “Pretty soon, after my spring visits and OV’s, I'll have a good understanding where I really want to narrow it down to.”

Though it wasn't official, James made a trip to Columbia during the season to watch the Tigers take on the Boston College Eagles. He got the full Faurot Field experience, witnessing a crazy ending, an energetic crowd and a season-best performance from Missouri's offensive star.

“Just the atmosphere was really good and the way I got to watch Luther Burden play was pretty crazy,” James said. “So I love it there.”

The recent success of the Tigers does play a minor role in the pitch to James to come to Columbia. Moreso, the stability of the program in recent years has also made an impact.

“You definitely want to be at a stable program with a stable staff and I feel like they've had a really good season the past two or three seasons or whatnot,” James said.

Official visits are next on the horizon for James before any sort of commitment decision is made. James has an official scheduled in Columbia, starting on May 30. Though there is no timetable for a decision, it should come after his officials.