The Tennessee native brings size, scoring ability to Tigers
After hitting the transfer portal hard, Kellie Harper emphasized to reporters that she would not lose sight of high school recruiting. She has stayed true to her word, bringing in Cecilie Brandimore as the first recruit for the class of 2026. Here’s what you should know about the future Tiger:
I would like to give all glory and praise to God for the amazing opportunities, experiences, people, and coaches that he has blessed me with during my recruiting process. Thank you to the coaching staff for believing in me, and GO TIGERS! pic.twitter.com/K80sPrJyzv
— Cecilie Brandimore (@Cecilie_FHS11) July 1, 2025
Brandimore is a 6-foot-4 forward/center from Franklin, Tennessee. Playing at Franklin High, Brandimore averaged 24.9 points, 13.6 rebounds and three blocks. During her junior year she earned First Team All-District honors and was voted the Tennessean Player of the Week honors four times. She plays AAU ball as a member of Kentucky Premier in the 17U EYBL Circuit. While Brandimore didn’t crack the ESPN Top 100, she has emerged as a consistent standout during the EYBL sessions.
#MMBR EYBL Girls | Prime Performers Day #1@MajorMovezMedia @MajorMovezTV @BrooklynnHaywo1 @Haeli_Tart @AshlynKoupal @chelby_jordan @jaelynn_housey1 @bellehill_2028 @Arinicewithit @antil_s04 @OfficialAmirah8 @HarlemS56704 @MccallopFaith @CyndeeBryant @AverieBrandt @ANyemchek… pic.twitter.com/k9a6R1tpTZ
— Major Movez Basketball Review #MMBR (@MMBR_CoachGBell) May 17, 2025
Brandimore is a true traditional big, doing the vast majority of her scoring inside the paint while serving as both a glass crasher and rim protector. Here is some footage of her 29-point, 10-rebound performance during a decisive win against Ravenwood.
She had other regional offers such as Belmont and Lipscomb. Her only other Power 5 offer came from Minnesota. She was originally offered by Harper and the Mizzou staff back on May 27.
Cecilie Brandimore, 6-4 F, Franklin HS (TN), has announced her commitment to Missouri, their first 2026 commit; among her other offers were Belmont, UIC, Lipscomb, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, Minnesota, Murray State, and UT Martin
— Raoul (@Raoul_000) July 1, 2025
Brandimore is most known for her basketball skills, but she is also a member of the Franklin volleyball and flag football teams.
It’s no surprise that Harper looked to her home state for talent, as she also helped bring in Sydney Mains, another member from The Volunteer State.
The addition of Brandimore shows that Harper is not only building for the present, but also looking ahead to the future. Mizzou has struggled for the last couple seasons to gain consistent scoring from the center/forward positions. Harper’s first fix was the addition of rising senior Jordana Reisma from Cleveland State.
After Reisma graduates, Brandimore will fit right into the center position on the roster (hopefully alongside yet another transfer). This gives us our first chance to look at both the 2025-26 and the 2026-27 scholarship charts.
As you can see, there are still plenty of spots open, which hopefully means that Harper is nowhere near finished with her recruiting in the 2026 class.
