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Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas touted receiver James Madison II is headed back home as the Kansas City native announced his commitment to Missouri on the Fourth of July, choosing to play his college football for Eliah Drinkwitz and his staff over his other finalists in Florida State and Louisville.
Madison moved to the Sunshine State in eighth grade and emerged as one of the area’s best pass catchers, including turning 19 receptions into 407 yards and six touchdowns as a junior en route to a state championship.
“I feel like it was a lot of factors that went into my decision,” Madison said. “The main three factors would be at Mizzou being that I am from there I feel like I can bring a lot of light to the program, bring a lot of excitement to the program. You saw Luther (Burden) commit last year brought a lot of people on. Building a whole class of guys from Missouri and outside of Missouri people say can compete would bring a lot of hope for Missouri and that Missouri football is back and can be a top SEC school.
“Also I would have to say my relationships with the coaches. Coach (Jacob) Peeler is a very proven receiver coach. He has put a lot of receivers in the NFL like AJ Brown, DK Metcalf and Elijah Moore and he’s a really good guy and really good coach. I trust in Coach Drink and what he’s doing. All he needs is the recruits and players and that’s my mission to help him get that and be the best player I can be.”
Madison is ranked by 247Sports as the nation’s No. 49 receiver in the 2024 class and he feels he can reach his potential in Columbia.
“The offense, Kirby Moore coming in from Fresno State,” Madison said. “I don’t know what it is about him but he’s a very, very smart guy. His offense he runs is very proven. His brother is the OC with the Chargers. I already know he has an elite type of mindset with his offense.”
247Sports Director of Scouting Andrew Ivins breaks down what Mizzou is getting in Madison.
“A gangly pass catcher with surprising run-after-catch capabilities,” Ivins wrote in his scouting report. “Measured just over 6-foot-3, 190 pounds in Spring of 2022. More importantly, had a near 6-foot-8 wingspan. First emerged on the recruiting scene as a freshman at TRU Prep. Eventually transferred into St. Thomas Aquinas where he cracked the rotation as a junior, totaling 407 receiving yards and six touchdowns for Florida’s 3M champions. Long stride allows him to chew up turf as he works his way up the field while superb body control allows him to make high-level grabs look easy every now and then. Has proven to be a bit of a mismatch on the inside as he can quickly stack linebackers or safeties and get vertical on post/corner routes. At one point looked like he was going to grow into an F tight end of sorts (and has been utilized some in that role on Friday nights), but continues to bill himself as a larger wide receiver. Should be viewed as a potential game-changer that offensive coordinators can get creative with (especially in the red zone) given his skill set. Must keep progressing and fill out, but arrow seems to be pointing in the right direction.”
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