Missouri boasts top-25 recruiting class after recent run of commitments

At this time a month ago, Missouri‘s 2026 recruiting class was dead-last in the SEC and the Tigers didn’t feature a single blue-chip commitment.

And that was coming off a second-straight 10-win season for Eli Drinkwitz and Co., along with a 4-0 start this year. The Tigers have made the transfer portal a top priority, but seeing their name below Kentucky, Vanderbilt, and Mississippi State on the recruiting rankings was a bit of a shocker.

Less than four weeks later though, the outlook on the crop headed to Columbia looks very different. No team has been on more of a heater during that time, as Drink and his staff have racked up nine commitments since September 25.

That surge has pushed them from a class that ranked in the 70s of of the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings all the way up to No. 24. And after being 16th in the SEC, they sit at No. 11 in the league — just two spots below where they finished the 2025 cycle — when they ended up with a borderline top-15 class nationally.

In total, the Tigers are up to 19 commitments. The group was previously headlined by high three-star receiver Jabari Brady, but he has now been supplanted as the top dog in the class. That honor now belongs to four-star offensive tackle Johnnie Jones Jr. out of Venice (Fla.), who checks in as the No. 137 prospect nationally and No. 10 offensive tackle in the country. Previously committed to UCLA, he jumped on board with Missouri on October 11.

He took an OV to Columbia earlier this fall, and the Tigers locked him down a few weeks later.

“They have a great and involved crowd throughout all times of the game,” he told Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong. “What continues to excite is being able to the run the ball for 300-yards against a strong defensive front and how Coach Drink has the ability to have an winning program and now it’s time to compete for championships.”

Tigers looking for a couple more late additions?

Jones is one of five Rivals Industry blue-chippers in the fold now, joining defensive lineman Tajh Overton (No. 271), running back TJ Hodges (No. 275), linebacker JJ Bush (No. 310), and EDGE DeMarcus Johnson (JuCo No. 2 player nationally).

But they might not be done just yet, as a class that was expected to stay under 20 commitments might now grow beyond that.

Abbeville (Ala.) Christian Academy athlete Ahmod Billins is set to announce his commitment later this week, with the Tigers considered the heavy favorite to land him. Missouri has also been in contact with Harrisburg (Pa.) four-star running back Messiah Mickens since he reopened his recruitment from Penn State.

The Tigers also hosted BYU cornerback commit Jaxon Gates recently, and Missouri is one of the schools in contact most with Florida four-star cornerback pledge CJ Hester. And with the coaching carousel just beginning to spin up, they could be in a position to pounce on a few more.