E. St. Louis star Reyondous Estes changes college commitment

A recent offer from Missouri got East St. Louis Flyers senior quarterback Reyondous Estes thinking long and hard about his previous verbal commitment to Western Michigan.

When the dust cleared, the talented Flyers signal-caller decided Missouri was his choice and made a commitment on Wednesday to the Tigers. Verbal commitments are non-binding; recruits can sign with colleges in February.

“It was a hard situation to do because of Western Michigan and their coaching staff,” said Estes, a 6-foot, 170-pound senior who committed to WMU in February. “I talked it over with my mom and my coaching staff and made a final decision.

“It was something that I felt like would benefit me. (The Missouri offer) was something I was waiting on since my freshman year and it finally came, so I went forward with it.”

It doesn’t hurt having numerous former East St. Louis Flyers on the Missouri roster, led by sophomore defensive tackle Terry Beckner Jr. The list of ex-Flyers at Mizzou includes sophomore safety Greg Taylor, sophomore running back Nate Strong and freshman offensive lineman Tre’Vour Simms.

“That was a plus that I did look at on the bright side,” Estes said. “That gave it a push for real. We’re a brotherhood, we want to continue that brotherhood on the next level so that is a big plus.

“It was was something I was always after since my freshman year, something that I’ve been looking forward to.”

The extremely athletic Estes threw for 789 yards and 11 touchdowns in only five games last season., also leading the Flyers in rushing with 405 yards and five TDs on 39 carries. East Side lost its final four games to a teachers strike that kept them out of the playoffs.

Estes said that strike and a chance to prove what they can do on the field has the Flyers poised for big things this season. It won’t hurt having Estes throwing passes to senior All-American Jeff Thomas, one of the most sought after receiving recruits in the country.

“I’m excited to be honest with you, there’s a lot of hype with it,” said Estes, who plays point guard on the Flyers’ basketball team. “I feel like I do have a chip on my shoulder and feel like I have a lot to prove. I’m always prepared for challenges. I’m going into the season with my back against the wall and just going all out.”

Estes is a strong two-way threat who helped the Flyers (7-5) reach the Class 6A quarterfinals as sophomore. He completed 102-of-192 passes for 1,711 yards and 20 TDs with only three interceptions.

Sophomore Drew Lock and Marvin Zanders are the top quarterbacks on the Missouri depth chart.

This story was originally published August 10, 2016 at 12:50 PM with the headline "E. St. Louis star Reyondous Estes changes college commitment."