Skip to main content

Mizzou reels in former Oklahoma State defensive line commit Tajh Overton

Missouri Tigers football recruiting insider Kenny Van Dorenby: Kenny Van Doren10/17/25thevandalorian
Tajh Overton 5 copy 1.jpg
Tajh Overton (Photo by On3 | Rivals)

Eli Drinkwitz always favored the spatula.

But this time, the Missouri head coach saw the recruit decommit first. The Tigers received the commitment of former Oklahoma State pledge Tajh Overton, who backed off his Cowboys pledge Sunday. A three-star defensive lineman, Overton surprisingly visited Missouri on Sept. 27 for homecoming before returning for an official visit this past Saturday.

During pregame of the Massachusetts contest, Overton, a Rivals Industry four-star, caught up with Missouri defensive tackle Chris McClellan, a fellow Owasso (Okla.) product. McClellan joined the program ahead of the 2024 season as a Florida transfer.

The Tigers cracked Overton’s Top 11 in November, but fell out by the time the defensive lineman trimmed his list to six schools. Overton reported his offer from Missouri in September 2024.

Overton missed parts of his junior season with an upper-body injury. The 6-foot-3, 275-pound lineman ranked No. 52 among defensive linemen and No. 8 in the state of Oklahoma in the most recent Class of 2026 update.

While marking the 19th commitment for Missouri, Overton also joined the Tigers as the first interior defensive line pledge. The program already reeled in two edge rushers: Rivals300 four-star Micah Nickerson and No. 2 junior college recruit DeMarcus Johnson.

Missouri has now added seven commits this month, with Overton following linebacker JJ Bush, running back TJ Hodges, offensive linemen Brysen Wessell and Johnnie Jones Jr. and safeties Carter Stewart and Brody Jones.

The Tigers lost the verbal commitment of their first pledge in the 2026 class, Anthony Kennedy Jr., back in May following defensive line coach Al Davis‘ departure. Missouri swung back around with Kennedy along with other targets during summer official visits, but the three-star ended up at Miami.