Last month’s Southeastern Conference media days event in Atlanta was again loaded with stars who were once big-time recruits, with Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, Auburn running back Tank Bigsby, Alabama outside linebacker Will Anderson and Georgia outside linebacker Nolan Smith serving as notable examples.
Georgia also was represented by national championship offensive MVP Stetson Bennett, the former walk-on quarterback, but Bennett’s background isn’t nearly as obscure as that of Missouri sixth-year receiver and former walk-on Barrett Banister. The lack of a photo on Banister’s 247Sports.com profile page reflects that.
“It’s been pretty crazy,” Banister said of his time with the Tigers. “It’s been a progression. You’re fighting for your life trying to get someone on the team to know your name.
“It’s been a process and a grind and a real testament to the people in my life who have poured into me.”
The 6-foot, 196-pounder from Fayetteville, Arkansas, made the 2016 Arkansas Democrat Gazette all-state team in 2016, but the Razorbacks never came calling. He walked-on at Mizzou under Barry Odom in 2017 and redshirted that season, but his perseverance began to pay off in 2018, when he had eight receptions for 88 yards, including three for 37 in a loss to Oklahoma State in the Liberty Bowl.