Missouri State football coach Ryan Beard has started hinting to recruits that the Bears will be in the FBS instead of the FCS in 2025. He’s already lined up a handful of candidates ready to lead the football program into its new era.
Here are the ones MSU has landed since announcing it would join Conference USA ahead of the 2025 season.
Khalil Anderson, East Tennessee, DB
Anderson is a 5-foot-10 corner coming off his redshirt junior season. He began his career in Pittsburgh. He played in 11 games last season with 25 tackles and one pick. He has also received an offer from Rhode Island since entering the portal.
More: How will the state of Missouri be ‘budget neutral’ with the CUSA change? Here are new revenue streams.
James BlackStrain, Georgia Tech, WR
BlackStrain was a four-star recruit ranked in the ESPN 300 out of high school but saw minimal time in three years at Georgia Tech. He’s a 6-foot-2 wide receiver who coach Ryan Beard offered while at Louisville when BlackStrain was a 15-year-old high school student in Florida.
Noah Gardner, Tulane, Oregon
Gardner is a 6-foot-4, 290-pound offensive lineman transferring from Tulane. Since entering the portal, he has received offers from Houston, McNeese, Tennessee Tech and Lamar. He was a three-star prospect out of high school and had offers from Louisiana Tech and California. He still has four years of eligibility.
More: How Missouri State football coach Ryan Beard is approaching Conference USA, FBS jump
Antonio Robinson, Marshall, W.R.
Robinson is a 6-foot-5, 190-pound receiver with three years of eligibility remaining. He appeared in one game last season after redshirting in 2022 without any game action. He received offers from New Mexico State, Buffalo, New Mexico, Utah State, Arizona and others out of high school.
Brandon Vines, Dupage (juco), DB
Vines was the starting point in defending the NJCAA Division III national championship. He runs a 4.48 in the 40-yard dash, is 6-foot-4 and had offers from North Dakota State, Northern Iowa and other FCS programs before choosing MSU.
More: Will Missouri State football struggle when it makes the jump to Conference USA? Not necessarily
Jacob Wilburn, Regents School (HS), LB
Wilburn was offered more than a year ago but was hired by the Bears after the school announced its move to CUSA. He’s a 6-foot-2, 200-pound linebacker who was a three-time all-state selection from Texas. He received offers from Eastern Illinois and Valparaiso.
Elijah Williams, San Joaquin Delta (juco), DB
The Bears show no signs of slowing down when recruiting their personnel to colleges in California. Williams is a 5-foot-11 defensive tackle who has three years of eligibility.
This article originally appeared in the Springfield News-Leader: Missouri State to Conference USA: New football recruits for Bears
