The local 5-star product spurned every blue-blood in the country for a crappy 3-win local team. Awesome.

After a recruitment that has seemingly lasted five years, Luther Burden finally made it officially official on Tuesday night:

The #1 receiver in America is going to be a Missouri Tiger.

Let that sink in for a moment, Tiger fans.

Luther Burden is the highest-ranked recruit in Missouri’s 2022 class, a recruiting class that currently features five (now six!) players ranked among the Top 250 players in the country.

He’s the first player ranked in the Top 50 to commit to Missouri since Terry Beckner, Jr. in the 2015 class (ranked the 36th best player in the country).

Burden is the fourth player ranked as the number one player at his position to commit to Missouri in the recruiting-services era, joining Blaine Gabbert, Sheldon Richardson, and Dorial Green-Beckham. All four were also the best player in the state of Missouri at the time but that goes without saying.

Lastly, Luther Burden is the fourth 5-star player to commit to Missouri, joining the same list above – Gabbert, Richardson, DGB – and bolsters the 2022 class with the seventh player from the state of Missouri and fourth from St. Louis*

*Burden plays for East St. Louis but is a native of the Missouri-version of STL

This is a big deal, folks. While receivers don’t have the same impact that a quarterback or defensive lineman have they can obviously shatter a defensive game plan by merely stepping on the field. Missouri’s 2022 receiving corps – full of role players, possession guys, and a few athletic-but-untested speedsters – now get to operate with a legitimate threat operating on the outside, shifting the defense’s attention away from them and bumping everyone’s “priorities” down a notch. No longer do Tauskie Dove or Dom Lovett or Mookie Cooper must be the game-breaking weapon in the passing game; now they can do what they do best while Burden commands safety help.

Also: Missouri just signed a 5-star wide receiver in the middle of a boring and disappointing season. You want to fall in love with Drinkwitz all over again? Here you go. You want to show proof of concept in a season lacking proof? Look at the recruiting class. This is why Missouri brought Drinkwitz on board and it’s paying off.

There will be tons more discussion about this signing over the next – well, let’s be honest, the next year, including the remainder of this season. But this is a treat that Tiger fans don’t get often so make sure you enjoy every second of one of the most elite athletes in the country committing to your favorite school. M-I-Z.

Get to know: Luther Burden

Hometown: East St. Louis, IL* (see above)

High School: East St. Louis HS

Position: WR

Ht/Wt: 6’0 / 200

Rivals Ranking: 5-star,

247Composite Ranking: 5-star, 0.9956

Total announced offers: 39

Offers to note: Georgia, Alabama, Oklahoma, you name ‘em.