4-star DL Juju Marks locks in Missouri official visit
A one-time Missouri commit will take an official visit to Columbia this summer, he announced on social media.
Overland Park (Kan.) St. Thomas Aquinas four-star defensive lineman Juju Marks committed to Missouri after the Tigers’ walk-off win over Kansas State in September. He decommitted the next month.
“These past few weeks I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about my future college world,” Marks wrote. “I truly am blessed to have so many opportunities. But with that I feel like I rushed the process and didn’t really take my time to explore. I love Mizzou and everyone there. But with that being said I will be decommitting from Mizzou and re-opening my recruitment with Mizzou remaining as a top option. I hope everyone can respect my decision.”
That “top option” will now receive an official visit from Marks from May 31-June 2.
Marks is the nation’s No. 344 overall prospect and No. 29 defensive lineman in the 2025 cycle according to the On3 Industry Ranking — a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the No. 6 recruit in Kansas.
Defensive line recruiting in the 2024 class
Eliah Drinkwitz’s staff in Columbia pulled in a number of stars along the defensive line in the 2024 cycle. Signees included Lee’s Summit (Mo.) North Five-Star Plus+ EDGE Williams Nwaneri, Hudson (Fla.) four-star defensive lineman Elias Williams and Madison (Ala.) James Clemens four-star EDGE Jaylen Brown.
Nwaneri headlined a Missouri class that ranked inside the top 25 nationally in the 2024 On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.
“What made me feel good about Missouri was comfortability, relationships with the coaching staff and the people there,” Nwaneri told On3. “It has a feeling like somewhere close that I could go and fit in. Staying home is extremely big for me. As a child I watched Missouri, I get to stay home and we can start something new. Having a chance to be that hometown hero and starting a trend at Missouri played into my decision.”
More on those relationships:
“Coach Peoples and Coach Drink were both really involved in recruiting me,” Nwaneri said. “I have great relationships with them both. Their message was always to stay home, be the guy and go where you are needed, not wanted. They want me to come in and be a huge impact for the program.”