Robert Steeples saw it years ago. In a DeSmet practice in the fall of 2018, sophomore Mekhi Wingo lined up with the defensive line.
It was first down. As the ball snapped, Wingo did a swim move out of his gap and charged the quarterback. It was a sack. But that’s not what caught the coach’s eye. Not the result or even the sheer physical acumen. Though it worked that time, Steeples, a defensive back at Mizzou and Memphis and then the Minnesota Vikings before returning to his alma mater as the head coach, envisioned the move turning into opportunities for the other team to score during games.
“Mekhi, be careful doing swim moves, swimming out of your gap on first down,” Steeples said. “How do you know it’s not a running play?”
“Well, when I got off the ball I saw the O-Lineman go back into his pass set, and I went to my pass rush as a result,” Wingo replied.
That was when Steeples realized Wingo’s ability stemmed beyond his years. He possessed a level of maturity that was unlike his peers. Three years after that practice, it’s helped him earn a significant role early as a freshman on Missouri’s defensive line.
“I’ve always been more of the mature type,” Wingo said. “Like, growing up, my mom didn’t play that. I had to be on top of my stuff and everything that I did.”
If his mother were allowed to tell the story, she’d say Wingo was more mature than he should’ve been, even as a child. That was the son Taneka Wingo raised.
Taneka stayed home and raised Mekhi through the first three years of his life. She instilled discipline in Mekhi and his older sister, Na’ima. ‘Do your work first’ was the motto she regurgitated over and over. The phrase never left him.
“He was always naturally mature, but he was a kid,” Taneka said. “I never really had to get on him. It was just in him. So even as he got older, I never had to say, ‘well look, now you’re older you stop doing this or stop doing that.’ He just went with the flow. It literally was the easiest parenting I’ve ever had to do.”
She chose to not be the overbearing mother. Taneka allowed Mekhi the freedom to make his own choices and watch his own dominoes fall.
“I always taught them, you always have a choice in your life, because it’s your life, I can’t live it for you,” Taneka said. “No one else can. So you can either choose right or you can choose wrong but you have to be willing to suffer the consequences of your choices so if you choose to go down the wrong path, be ready to deal with the consequences that come with that and if you choose the right path.”
She even left it to him to make the decision that has followed Mekhi for more than a decade. When he was seven years old, Taneka asked if he wanted to play football. Her son obliged, knowing nothing about the sport but wanting to try it anyway. Mekhi hasn’t turned back since.
Taneka did give her children options, though. She introduced Mekhi to the world of music at the same time. He even played the violin for a year before he called it quits. He was years into making his own decisions, and football was one he was firm on.
As he aged, Mekhi grew into the reserved kid who always knew his next move and plotted accordingly. He never needed help in school, always opting to figure things out on his own. When it came time for high school football, he was ready. Everything about Mekhi impressed Steeples, who said that he knew Mekhi prepared himself differently even down to what played in his headphones.
“He’s a big J. Cole fan, so he’s an old soul,” Steeples said. “I think you learn a lot about kids by what music they listen to. Obviously besides us being connected through football and family, our likening of J. Cole, I’m a big fan myself — I say ‘You get it.’ That’s what you want to hear on your playlist, I say you get it. So, I think his music choice also plays a role in his maturity.”
Mekhi virtually never broke character; the one time Steeples remembers having to teach him a lesson on maturity was his sophomore season, when Mekhi posted some trash-talking tweets before a game, giving the other team bulletin board material. In practice, Steeples asked Mekhi to attempt to push a five-man sled by himself.
“Your talking makes it harder for everyone else,” Steeples said. “Since you think what you said is OK, we’re going to let you do the work by yourself.”
Five minutes of struggle passed before his teammates decided to help him out. Steeples never had to do anything like that again.
Maturity meant confidence for Mekhi, something Steeples thinks Mekhi stole from Taneka. He was poised, and the offseasons featured scary levels of dedication. He’d already proven himself on the turf, but he worked the same way when no one was watching in the weight room or as he studied the playbook. Steeples called Mekhi’s work ethic “second to none.”
“He worked daily trying to develop his IQ, learning the playbook, developing his pass rush moves, critiquing his game, just saying this daily commitment to the grind,” Steeples said. “That’s what it takes to be successful at the collegiate level and thereafter and so on.”
Everything that went into Mekhi learning who he is and running with it has led to the position he’s in now. Through three games, he’s played 100 snaps for Missouri. The only ones who aren’t surprised are those who followed his journey. It’s no secret to them why he’s often looked like more than a freshman on the field.
“I think they just noticed my work ethic,” Mekhi said. “You know I come every day, give 100%, got the playbook down pretty quick. Actually, when I first got here, Darius Robinson, from the first day I got here, he had me in the indoor with him at like 10pm. Putting in extra work, learning the technique that the new coaches had put in during the spring. Had me in the film room learning the play book. I’d say he really got me a head start before it was even time to hit the field when I got here.”
Robinson’s influence has rubbed off. Mekhi has allotted four tackles in the Tigers’ 2-1 start, including a sack. He’s noted the obvious differences in high school and college football early. His teammates joke with him about how he’s only played football in Missouri, so he “doesn’t know ball no way.” But Mekhi has picked things up pretty quickly. For him, the physicality and speed of the game are the biggest changes.
Mekhi’s first taste of Southeastern Conference play came during Week 2 at Kentucky. For everyone else it marked the matchup that annually tells the tale of which team will prevail on the year in the standings. For the freshman defensive lineman, it was the moment he realized where he was. He vividly remembers one of his snaps as his rookie moment.
“I think they ran like an outside zone or something and I got my hands on him,” Mekhi said. “I got reached so fast it didn’t even matter, and the ball hit in my gap. So, that’s something I’m correcting. Working on my pre-snap reads and stuff like that. That’s another thing you got to adjust to. In high school you just lined up, play, and you’re probably better than the person across from you. Here, you really got to scan formations and really get those pre-snap reads and stuff like that.”
Defensive coordinator Steve Wilks has made the transition easier for Mekhi. DeSmet’s practices basically mimic that of Missouri, and Mekhi says the system that Steeples ran has translated well for his fit in Wilks’ defense. Wilks isn’t shy about how happy he is that he can coach Mekhi.
“Mekhi is definitely a guy that I think is going to be a good football player for us for a long time,” Wilks said. “Quick off the ball, very explosive, he’s strong, can hold the double team, can split the double team. And given the opportunity to be one-on-one with the guard, he’s been very effective for us winning his one-on-ones. So, I’m very pleased that he’s here. I think, maturity wise, I think he is a little bit beyond his age, you know, the way he goes about his job and his work.”
He might’ve prepared for these moments earlier than others. Through years of discipline and steady decision-making, Mekhi has found himself right where he wants to be. With as mature as he’s been for years, none of the success surprises him. He’s just doing what he always knew he could.
“That was always a goal, you know, to come in and make an impact ASAP,” Mekhi said. “I thought I had the ability to come in and help the team right away. And I think I’m doing alright right now.”