SPRINGFIELD - Kory Franks has signed a National Letter of Intent to play golf at Missouri State and represents the Bears' lone commitment in the NCAA's early signing period, men's golf coach Neal Stafford announced Wednesday.

Franks comes to the Bears from Blair Oaks High School in Jefferson City, Mo., and is ranked the No. 1 recruit in the Missouri class of 2015 by Junior Golf Scoreboard and the American Junior Golf Association.

"I am very excited to have Kory joining our program," Stafford said. "He is a tremendous young man and player. During the recruiting process, I've watched him adapt and succeed in many different types of course and weather conditions, and that is a tremendous asset for college golf."

Franks, won the Class 2 Missouri State High School Championship as a junior for the Falcons last May at Silo Ridge in Bolivar, Mo., and the AJGA Lockton/Samsung Kansas City Junior at the National Golf Club in Parkville, Mo.

"To be a state champion and AJGA winner says a lot about the type of player Kory is and what he has ahead of him in the college game," said Stafford. "I look for Kory to make an immediate impact in our program, and look forward to being a part of his future success."

Franks is the 84th-ranked player nationally in the AJGA/Polo Rankings for the class of 2015 and shot a school-record 7-under-par 65 at the district championship in his junior season. He also fired three rounds in the 60s and set a school mark for scoring average.

Franks, who also played four years of basketball for the Falcons, has been named all-conference, all-district and all-state three consecutive years in golf heading into 2015. He led Blair Oaks to Tri-County Conference titles as a sophomore and junior, a sectional crown last season and a district championship in 2013.