As Beau Pribula threw his last, and ultimately back-breaking, interception to seal the loss against Alabama, the vibes were quite bad. In what could have been a monumental, program-defining victory over a blue blood, the Tigers fell short. However, lost amongst the angst, anger and disappoint of that day was a bright spot. Multiple bright spots, as a matter of fact, in what has become a trend so far this fall for Mizzou: The Tigers are on a sneaky recruiting heater right now.
Amidst the loss to the Tide,
Drinkwitz did score a couple wins in the form of offensive line commitments from four-star Johnnie Jones, Jr. and three-star Brysen Wessell. These mid-season recruiting wins aren’t a one-off though. They are part of significant trend for the Tigers.
Since Sept. 25, Mizzou has snagged eight commitments, including three four-star high school athletes and the JUCO defender ranked second nationally by 247 and On3 alike. For reference, last season the Tigers only received five total commitments after the season started in September, but four of those were in December just before or on National Signing Day (Javion Hilson, Marquise David, DaMarion Fowlkes and Brendon Haygood). Only one player committed during the 2024 regular season (Dakotah Terrell.)
This departure from last year’s recruiting schedule may or may not say anything about the change in recruiting strategy for Mizzou, but it does say one thing for sure: the program is in a really healthy place.
Oh ye of little faith. Why did you doubt?
Let’s rewind a bit to last spring and summer. At the time, the Tigers were perceptually falling behind their SEC peers in high school recruiting for the class of 2026. As of May 14, Mizzou only had three commitments to their name, which I wrote about in a somewhat concerned tone. Just a few days later, two of those three players de-committed and the Tigers were left with just one name in the ring for 2026.
Thankfully, Mizzou had a productive summer on the trail, pulling in nine commitments through early July. Of all those commitments, however, none were rated higher than a three-star in the 247 composite rankings. The Tigers, coming off the 14th-ranked class according to 247 and who had enjoyed several consecutive years of recruiting classes ranked at least in the 20s, were languishing in the 70s and 80s nationally, slightly ahead of an Auburn team that may be coachless sooner rather than later for bottom of the barrel among P4 teams.
From July 4 to the end of September, the Tigers didn’t pull a single commitment as Tiger fans were forced to sit, stew and question the recruiting approach Mizzou was taking. Then, the tides started to shift as the second-ranked JUCO prospect in the country, DeMarcus Johnson, finally broke the stalemate. Then came the commitment run:
Sept. 28: Micah Nickerson flips from Mississippi State
Oct. 3: JJ Bush flips from Arkansas
Oct. 4: TJ Hodges commits
Oct. 11: Brysen Wessell commits
Oct. 11: Johnnie Jones, Jr. flips from UCLA
Oct. 13: Carter Stewart flips from Utah
Oct. 13: Brody Jones flips from Cincinnati
In the span of just 18 days, the Tigers went from a class ranking in the upper 70s to #31 according to 247 and #26 according to On3/Rivals. That’s an incredible jump in less than three weeks for a program that had previously been looking down the barrel at their worst-ranked class of the Internet era.
One thing that also immediately jumps out about that list: the number flips Drinkwitz and crew are winning from players previously committed to other programs. Sure, UCLA and Arkansas have both fired their coaches, so flipping those players wasn’t quite a monumental feat, but Mississippi State, Utah and Cincinnati are all having fine seasons without a risk of firing their coaching staffs. Those are just recruiting wins, straight up. Victory is sweet.
An apple a day
So why the sudden string of success after months of recruiting hiatus? It’s because Drinkwitz and company have further established that this is a program here to stay.
If 2023 was a proof of concept for the current Tiger regime, then 2024 was an exercise in establishing consistency. Despite the best efforts of the national media, back-to-back 10 win seasons in the SEC are hard to ignore. Now that 2025 is halfway done (that made me sad just typing it) and Mizzou is once again on track for double-digit wins at 5-1, the program has advanced from the status of “consistent winner” to “proven commodity.”
Regardless of whether Mizzou reaches the 10-win plateau again for a third straight year, they have shown more than enough to fans, media and recruits to prove that they are here to stay. Additionally, the Tigers’ third straight 5-1 start undoubtedly greased the wallets of enough major NIL donors to perhaps put Mizzou over the top with some of the more highly sought after commitments including four-star flips Johnnie Jones, Jr. and J.J. Bush.
Don’t expect the Tigers to slow down on the recruiting trail any time soon, either. With more high-profile SEC match ups on the horizon and Mizzou still very much in the mix to not only compete for the SEC Championship, but a spot in the College Football Playoff, opportunities for the Tigers to land even more high-level high schoolers still abound. After all, the Tigers have seemed to make a habit of landing a few late additions to the class each December, just like they did last year, adding five-star Javion Hilson and four-star Marquise Davis with the Signing Day clock winding down.
Here’s to hoping the Mizzou coaching staff has a few more of those wins up their sleeves, which could push this class back up into the rankings range where Tiger fans are quickly growing accustomed to living. It’s a place that’s real easy to get used to, so let’s take our shoes off and make ourselves at home.
