How the Missouri Tigers are getting it done on the football recruiting trail
Last week, the Twitter account of Missouri Tigers football coach Eli Drinkwitz delivered this message: “#NewZOU22 Anyone else having fun!”
A Fourth of July holiday wish? That, but Drinkwitz’s tweet also arrived around the same time Deshawn Woods, a four-star offensive line prospect from Nebraska, announced his commitment to the Tigers.
From a rankings standpoint, it’s never been better at Missouri. As he prepares for his second season in Columbia, Drinkwitz and his staff are putting together a 2022 recruiting class that ranks among the nation’s top 20.
It’s a fluid thing, recruiting ratings, especially for the following year’s class. But in early July, the Tigers’ 2022 pledges collectively are ranked 16th and 21st by national recruiting sites 247 Sports and Rivals.
The 2021 class averages a No. 23 rating between the sites.
To put in historical perspective, Missouri’s best-rated class by Rivals over the past 20 years was No. 21 in 2010. That group included offensive lineman Mitch Morse, cornerback E.J. Gaines, defensive end Kony Ealy and others who helped build the foundation for SEC division winning teams.
Senior national recruiting analyst Gerry Hamilton of 247 Sports said the latest success starts at the top.
“Missouri made a really fine hire in Eli Drinkwitz, then it extends to the hires he’s made on his staff,” Hamilton said. “There are very good talent evaluators there. It’s a good mix of experience and up and coming young coaches.”
Among the experienced coaches is second-year running backs coach Curtis Luper, a 25-year coaching veteran who spent the previous seven seasons at TCU. He knows the position and Texas, and last week the Tigers collected a commitment from Tavorus Jones of El Paso, Rivals’ 10th-ranked running back nationally and No. 1 in Texas.
Assistant head coach Marcus Johnson and special teams coordinator Erik Link were the lead recruiters on Woods, No. 158 overall on the 247 Sports national list, one spot ahead of another Mizzou pledge, Isaac Thompson, a safety from St. Louis.
The 2022 commitment class numbers 11 and also includes national top 10 quarterback Sam Horn from Georgia, and three from the Kansas City area: wide receiver Mekhi Miller from Blue Valley North, linebacker Armand Membou of Lee’s Summit North and tight end Max Whisner from Lee’s Summit.
Also, the transfer portal has been good the Tigers. Among the five who have transferred in are a pair of cornerbacks from Tulsa who figure to complete immediately, Akaylab Evans and Allie Green. They’re following their position coach, Aaron Fletcher, who joined the Tigers staff in February. They’re both from Texas.
“That’s another thing about what Missouri is doing,” Hamilton said. “Texas was so important to Missouri in the Big 12 years. They move to the SEC and have to ask kids from Georgia and Florida to bypass a lot of schools. It was a tough geographical map.”
Missouri is back in Texas, working hard in Missouri, especially St. Louis and Kansas City, and still has a presence in the Southeast. The recruiting rankings say the approach is working.
“Recruiting never stops,” Drinkwitz tweeted in response to a fan.
Briar Napier contributed to this story.