Boyd breaks down his Top-8

St. Louis (Mo.) Trinity Catholic offensive lineman Larry Boyd announced his top-8 schools on Twitter on Monday.

Saying it was in no particular order, Boyd said the schools making the list were Oklahoma State, Missouri, Kansas State, Minnesota, Arkansas, Iowa State, Illinois and Wisconsin.

Boyd broke down each school with PowerMizzou.com to explain why they made the cut.

"I visited the school, liked the campus. Great academics. The offensive line coach (Greg Adkins), love him. He's an awesome coach. I spent some time with him. He came up to my school, but I wasn't really able to talk to him for that, or at all, it was more like abrupt, shake his hand, that was that. But when I was on campus, he was a great guy, an awesome coach, and I'm a fan of OSU."

"Mizzou is just like family. I can always go to Mizzou if I just need something, they're like family and what not. Every time I go to Mizzou it's fun, I get to see coach (Glen) Elarbee, I get to see coach (Cornell) Ford, coach (Barry) Odom. And then I get to see my brother up there, Brendan Scales, I'm really close with him and he just informs me about campus, how it really is, what it's like and just the recruitment thing, the ins and outs. But, oh yeah, I'm a big fan of Mizzou. I've always been."

"They have a very strong and enriched program, they have a bunch of roots and ties. I haven't been up to K-State yet, but I plan up going there before my school year starts. Hopefully they're in my top-5 so I can make it an official visit. But K-State, I'd love to get to know them more. I don't know them as much as I should, but just like their resume, being Kansas State, it's a very good school."

"Minnesota, I like the school, too, they put a lot of linemen to the league. I haven't been able to visit there yet but it's a school I'd like to visit before the school year starts. I just like the program, the head coach, and what they're doing, how they turned around the program. That's a school I like too."

"Arkansas, SEC, just like Mizzou. It's a really good school if you want to make it to the league, they put a lot of guys into the league. Arkansas, definitely a lot of linemen enter the league, and they're a very good school. I know people who went to Arkansas and they say they love the campus. I can't wait to get out there and see it for myself. That'd be another school I'd love to see before the school year starts."

"They've been on my mind a long time, I think they were my third or fourth offer, and we keep the rapport going. They offered my (teammate) Isaiah Williams, they offered a lot of people in my area. It shows how they really want St. Louis and that talent at the school. I heard they have a great fanbase, even the last couple years when they haven't been that good. They still have a lot of support, so there's that family aspect to it. It's a school I want to visit this summer, too."

"Coach Lovie Smith, if you're a top recruit in the country, you should have Illinois in the top-5 or top-8 because of him. He knows a lot and he's been through it all, so that's someone you want in your corner. I haven't been able to get up to Illinois yet, but I will visit in the next few months. It's a great school."

"They gave me a chance. They were the first school to offer me, and that's just a school that opened up the gates, so I'm not going to close the gates on them because they gave me a chance when other schools didn't. I'm loving the way they produce offensive linemen into the league. It's a great school and it's been a great school for a long time. It's another school in my top-8 that I really love."

Boyd also said that this isn't a final-8, and the list could change. He hopes to cut the list to five toward the end of his season, and then take all five official visits. From there, he would cut it to three before signing day, and then announce on National Signing Day.