Here's a take from a Mizzou writer
Can Mizzou land 3 top recruits? Waiting to find out is the hard part.
It would appear, if you’re a Crystal Ball type, that the Michigan State Spartans are the leader for Smith. This also lines up with a lot of what I’ve been hearing around town. There is one big catch on this, and that is that Smith’s parents like the idea of Mark playing a little closer to Edwardsville so they can make games on a more regular basis.
Distance to:
Columbia, MO: 137 miles
Champaign, IL: 158 miles
East Lansing, MI: 467 miles
Lexington, KY: 339 miles
Columbus, OH: 402 miles
This is why I’m not quite ready to eliminate the Tigers or the Illini just yet. There have been rumblings that things are down to either MSU and Mizzou, or MSU, Mizzou and Illinois. I don’t know if Smith is that far yet.
http://www.rockmnation.com/2017/4/1...ruiting-jeremiah-tilmon-kevin-knox-mark-smith