Men’s Basketball Inks Peyton Marshall to NLI

One of the nation’s top centers is heading to Columbia as Peyton Marshall (Marietta, Ga.) becomes the first player to officially join the No. 2 Class of 2024, signing his National Letter of Intent with the Tigers program Wednesday.

The first of three expected top-50 recruits to sign with the Tigers, Marshall places as high as No. 49 in the nation by On3. The 7-foot center enjoyed a successful junior campaign at Kell High School, leading the Longhorns to its first state title in school history.

“Peyton is a dominant interior presence who is a great finisher and has tremendous touch around the rim,” said Whitten Family Men’s Basketball Head Coach Dennis Gates. “He is also a physical player and does a good job of drawing contact and capitalizing from the free-throw line. Perhaps most impressively, however, Peyton is the best passer in the 2024 class, regardless of position and school. His court vision and his ability to quarterback the team for his size is unmatched.”

Originally from St. Louis, Marshall has enjoyed a successful tenure in Georgia during his high school career. As a junior, he received honorable mention to the all-state team, while collecting first-team accolades at the 5A level. He keyed Kell’s state-title run and capped the campaign with 11 points in the championship game, including nine in a second-half rally.

Ranked a top-10 center in the nation, Marshall also played for Game Elite in Atlanta during the summer and is now featured on Overtime Elite for senior campaign. He was also selected to the NBPA Top 100 Camp this past summer.

“Mizzou Nation is getting a high-character player that comes from winning,” said Kell High School head coach Jermaine Sellers. “Peyton is a dominant force that plays the game the right way. He makes everyone better. He sees the floor, is vocal and sacrifices for the betterment of the team. Peyton was the cornerstone of the Kell program and led us to the 5A State Championship. Peyton will be bringing that same pedigree to THE University of Missouri! I know the Missouri staff will continue with its track record of developing bigs and make Peyton a more dominant force on both ends of the floor. Go Tigers!”

Marshall is the first signee of Mizzou’s second-ranked class in the nation – the highest-ranked class in school history. Barrett is also joining a program that won 25 games and its first NCAA Tournament victory in 13 years in Gates’ first season leading the Tigers in 2022-23.