After a slow start to the high school recruiting cycle, Mizzou finally landed a big-hitting fish.
It’s been a tough couple of weeks for the Mizzou football staff on the recruiting front. An already slow recruiting cycle saw two of the three Tigers’ commitments renege in the last two weeks, including four-star defensive linemen Anthony Kennedy, Jr. and three-star safety D’Montae Tims. Finally, some good news hit the wires late last week when four-star St. Louisan Keenan Harris picked Mizzou over a bevy of regional power four teams.
The rising St. Louis University High School senior had offers from 38 teams, including Oklahoma, Oregon, Auburn, Arkansas, Nebraska and Iowa, but ultimately chose to keep his talents at home in Missouri. The 247 composite four-star safety has “havoc” as his middle name and could find the field sooner rather than later once he moves to Columbia in 2026.
Where he fits: Harris is a shop-wrecking box safety who was an absolute menace to opposing offenses during his junior year in high school. Finishing last season with 108 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, three interceptions, two sacks, two fumble recoveries and multiple fumbles forced, Harris appears most comfortable playing close to the line and moving forward toward the play, rather than backwards away from the line of scrimmage. He played linebacker his junior year, but he lacks the size to translate to that position in the SEC. He is, however, athletic enough to transition to the STAR position at Mizzou, which appears to be best suited for his talents.
It’s not clear whether Harris is great in pass coverage as he was not asked to do much, if any, down-field covering of receivers last season. What is clear is that he has a nose for the football and brings the wood when he sniffs out which unfortunate person happens to be holding it when he arrives. Harris has no problem seeking contact and will often be the first player to the ball carrier even if he starts out farther away from the play than several of his teammates.
When he’ll play: Assuming Harris slots in to the STAR position, he will have an opportunity to earn playing time early in his career. Current Tiger starting STAR Daylan Carnell graduates after 2025, and while Virginia Tech transfer Mose Phillips III is the presumptive starter in 2026, he has yet to earn that on the field for Mizzou. Even if Phillips wins that starting spot, Harris could earn some playing time his freshman year both on defense and certainly in special teams. Harris’s ability to track down runners and quarterbacks in the backfield should be a valuable asset to the Tigers regardless of what position he ultimately plays, and Corey Batoon may find some creative ways to deploy both Phillips and Harris simultaneously if Harris shows out like I think he could.
What it all means: Harris’s commitment was some much-needed good news for Mizzou on the high school recruiting front. He’s the first in-state commitment in the 2026 class and the only defensive player committed after Tims and Kennedy de-committed earlier in May. What’s more, Harris appears to be a one-for-one trade with Tims in terms of the player archetype and position they each play. To be honest, Harris seems to have a much higher ceiling than Tims in terms of size, athleticism and production so if it truly was a one-for-one trade, I’m more than happy with how it worked out for the Tigers.