East St. Louis (Ill.) athlete/defensive back Charles Bass announced his commitment to Missouri live Wednesday on 247Sports Unfiltered. Bass is the 17th commitment in a Missouri class that is in the national top 15 of the recruiting rankings and making a play towards the top 10.
WHAT CHARLES BASS SAYS ABOUT MISSOURI
Bass (6-foot-1, 190 pounds) took an official visit with Missouri in June but his relationship with them began long before that. The Tigers also have a strong relationship with the staff at East St. Louis.
Head coach Eli Drinkwitz came by the school in January.
“Just the coaching staff,” Bass said in explaining his commitment. “I talked to coach Drink a lot. I like what they’re doing with developing guys. I came and watched practice and saw during my official visit, it looked like the guys are being developed and having fun.”
The Tigers coming off an 11-2 season and a Cotton Bowl win also played a role.
“The growth of the program is a factor,” Bass said. “The coaches’ spots are more stable. I’m trying to go to the next level and they’re developing guys. They just had two DBs in the draft this year and I’m trying to be in their shoes.”
As far as corner or safety, Bass said, “a little of both but the main role they got me listed at is safety.”
In summarizing a recruitment that began early in his high school career, Bass said, “It was crazy. I put in a lot of work, put in lot of hours, and a lot of commitment. It was a long journey.”
WHO ELSE WAS IN THE MIX?
Bass had 26 offers. Towards the end of his recruitment, Illinois and Arkansas made the strongest plays for him. He took an official visit Kansas State, LSU and Texas A&M were some of his more recent offers.
WHERE CHARLES BASS RANKS AS A RECRUIT
At 247Sports, Bass is a higher-end three-star at an 88 rating. He is the nation’s No. 41 athlete and No. 13 rising senior in Illinois.
He is a four-star on the industry-generated 247Sports Composite, No. 13 athlete and No. 7 in Illinois.
HOW CHARLES BASS FITS WITH MISSOURI
Although listed as an athlete, Bass is coming in as a defensive back. They have a commitment from cornerback Mark Manfred and safety Dyllon Williams. All are big, long, and fit the mold of what Missouri is looking for in their secondary.
They signed a good defensive back class in 2024 as well.
That said, Bass has length, he has versatility, and he works on his game. He will have an opportunity to compete early in his career because of those attributes.
WHAT WE THINK ABOUT CHARLES BASS
Bass is a longer prospect with good footwork and change of direction. He can play a little bit of corner. But as he is coming in as a safety, that man-to-man experience will help him as he can come down and play over a slot or tight end, but also play in the deep part of the back end.
That versatility is key.
We saw him at Under Armour Regionals in previous years and got testing on him then, but he did not do one this year so we do not have updated measurables.
Continuing to get faster straight-line and add weight to his frame will be keys for him in a quest to play early and ultimately play beyond college.
He is instinctive and puts himself in good position to make plays.
Bass is a recruit who will certainly be monitored as a senior to see if his 88 rating needs to change.
