Missouri bolsters 2026 class with 4-star RB TJ Hodges

Missouri is heating up on the recruiting trail as we dip into the heights of the football season.

Now the Tigers have added even more firepower to their 2026 class.

Rivals300 RB TJ Hodges committed to Mizzou on Saturday over Louisville, Arkansas and others.

The Tigers have been trending at the top with the four-star RB out of Bryant (Ark.) High School since officially visiting Columbia in June. They closed strongly in this race due to the longstanding connections established with the coaching staff, and in partuclar, Curtis Luper.

“There are some strong ties there,” Lucas London, Hodges’ father, has told Rivals. “That was his first official visit (in June), and we have been wowed by them from the beginning. They have done a great job of recruiting him.”

“He likes the Missouri offense and that he likes the coach,” London added on Luper, his son’s lead recruiter, who has also actively been recruiting the family as well. “He’s had great times when he’s been there, and they really made it feel like family.”

Missouri has had terrific success running the ball this season behind transfer RB Ahmad Hardy, another factor that Hodges took under consideration.

With help from Hardy, Luper and Eli Drinkwitz laid out the blueprint for Hodges’ future in the SEC.

“Missouri’s staff really made me feel at home,” Hodges has told Rivals. “I loved the campus. They have a lot that they are working on and I’m excited to see the finishing touches of the stadium. My family loved Coach Drink and he loved my family. They also love Coach Lupe, so just building that relationship with those two made me really comfortable about making that a place I could be committed to.”