Mizzou recruiting updates: Drinkwitz’s 2021 class takes shape as signing period opens
Missouri Tigers coach Eliah Drinkwitz has impressed on the recruiting trail from the moment he arrived in Columbia.
He’s cobbled together a 2021 recruiting class that is projected to flirt among the top 25 in the nation. Mizzou was ranked 20th nationally by Rivals, while 247Sports had them No. 27 going into Wednesday’s start of the early signing period. He’s done that despite NCAA recruiting restrictions, along with a dead period that has disallowed on- and off-campus recruiting because of the pandemic.
Wednesday was the first step to putting ink on paper as recruits can sign their National Letters of Intent. The Tigers had 21 commitments going into Wednesday, though Drinkwitz said they’re hoping to add one or two more. MU saw a surprise addition in Colorado defensive lineman Arden Walker, who committed Wednesday, spurning Colorado and UCLA. That bumped MU up to 22 prospects.
“There are always nerves,” Drinkwitz said. “It’s ‘Flipmas’ season as one coach says. You always gotta be worried about making sure that your guys are tucked in at home, safe, nice, make sure you have conversation with parents. Then you gotta do your due diligence and poke around and make sure everyone else is good too.”
The 2021 class is highlighted by the stout in-state products Drinkwitz was able to pick up. Mizzou didn’t have a strong St. Louis recruiting base under former coach Barry Odom, but Drinkwitz has vowed to recruit every inch of Missouri to its fullest extent.
Those efforts have paid off in this class. Four-star St. Louis defensive end Travion Ford is the highest-rated committed prospect, but others like East St. Louis wide receiver Dominic Lovett and quarterback Tyler Macon are building blocks. Drinkwitz got Lovett to flip his pledge from Arizona State to Mizzou last week.
Expect Mizzou to continue being aggressive on the recruiting trail under Drinkwitz. The early signing period stretches to Friday. The first Wednesday in February is still available for 2021 recruits to make their decision if they so choose.
Drinkwitz said if the Tigers miss on some targets this week, they’ll look to add a few recruits in February, similar to what they did last year. Of course, MU is organizing all Wednesday’s festivities during a game week as the Tigers play Mississippi State on Saturday.
“We can’t cheat the 2021 class out of their signing day,” Drinkwitz said. “They’ve been cheated out of a lot of other stuff already because of this pandemic. We will certainly have a lot of energy and excitement for them. But we can’t lose sight of the No. 1 goal which is to win Saturday.”
Wednesday’s signings
Mizzou saw its first National Letter of Intent roll in at 7:03 a.m. Wednesday from offensive lineman EJ Ndoma-Ogar. The Oklahoma transfer had committed to the Tigers in November and should provide depth in the trenches. He’s not part of the 22 committed
Then the Tigers dipped into the Sunshine State for their next pair of commitments. Florida’s linebacker Zachary Lovett and defensive back Zxaequan Reeves faxed in their letters to become the first high school recruits to join Drinkwitz’s class.
Mizzou kept it going by signing junior college defensive lineman Realus George. He was the top-ranked fullback coming out of high school and played for Miami. But once he lost his starting job, he opted to go the junior college route and change positions. His next step will find him with the Tigers.
The Tigers got two of their most important players to sign next with East St. Louis natives Macon and Lovett inking their letters. Both are expected to enroll early and get their college careers started.
There weren’t too many surprises on Mizzou’s board, but it came with a pleasant one with Walker, who also officially signed Wednesday. Walker was the lone surprise Wednesday as the letters kept rolling in.
MU officially signed a slew of in-state products, including tight end Ryan Hoerstkamp and offensive lineman Connor Tollison, who both committed early in the process. St. Louis and De Smet products running back Taj Butts and defensive lineman Mekhi Wingo also joined the fold. Ford, the highest-rated product in the class, also officially signed later Wednesday afternoon.
Mizzou’s 2021 recruiting class
Player, Position, Height, Weight, Previous school (Location)
Taj Butts, RB, 5-11, 190, De Smet (St. Louis)*
Daylan Carnell, DB, 6-1, 185, Ben Davis (Indianapolis)*
Travion Ford, DE, 6-3, 222, Lutheran North (St. Louis)*
Realus George, DT, 6-3, 290, Independence CC (Independence, Kansas)*
BJ Harris, RB, 5-10, 185, McCallie (Chattanooga, Tennessee)
Tyler Hibbler, DB, 6-0, 183, Trinity Catholic (St. Louis)*
Ryan Hoerstkamp, TE, 6-4, 225, Washington High (Washington, Missouri)*
Darius Jackson, DB, 6-1, 175, Red Oak (Red Oak, Texas)*
Jonathan Jones, DE, 6-4, 235, McKinney (McKinney, Texas)*
Dominic Lovett, WR, 5-10, 170, East St. Louis High (East St. Louis)*
Zachary Lovett, LB, 6-2, 230, Rockledge (Rockledge, Florida)*
Tyler Macon, QB, 6-0, 180, East St. Louis High (East St. Louis)*
Gavin McKay, TE, 6-4, 215, Memphis University School (Memphis)*
Kyran Montgomery, DE, 6-5, 240, Pike (Indianapolis)*
EJ Ndoma-Ogar, OL, 6-3, 225, Oklahoma (Allen, Texas)*
Shemar Pearl, DE, 6-6, 240, Garden City CC (Garden City, Kansas)
Zxaequan Reeves, DB, 6-3, 180, Cocoa (Cocoa, Florida)*
Daniel Robledo, DE, 6-5, 280, East Los Angeles College (Monterey Park, California)*
Davion Sistrunk, ATH, 6-2, 165, Eau Gallie (Melbourne, Florida)*
Connor Tollison, OL, 6-5, 285, Jackson High (Jackson, Missouri)*
Arden Walker, DE, 6-4, 248, Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village, Colorado)*
Dameon Wilson, LB, 6-1, 215, Kings Mountain (Kings Mountain, North Carolina)*
Mekhi Wingo, DT, 6-0, 285, De Smet (St. Louis)*
— Source: Rivals.com
* — Announced as signed by the school.
This story was originally published December 16, 2020 at 5:00 AM.