Mizzou Tigers football gets pledge from Boonville defensive lineman DJ Wesolak
Eliah Drinkwitz and the Missouri Tigers football team picked up another commitment to their highly ranked 2022 recruiting class Wednesday.
Four-star defensive end DJ Wesolak of Boonville pledged to Mizzou following Drinkwitz’s early signing day news conference, picking the Tigers over LSU, Georgia, Alabama and USC, among others.
Mizzou later announced Wesolak’s signing, giving the Tigers 15 signed recruits and a No. 11 national recruiting ranking, by far the best mark for the program in the modern recruiting era. Only three SEC teams have a better class — Georgia, Alabama and Texas A&M.
“I was thinking hard about LSU, but I am staying home with Missouri,” Wesolak told On3 of his decision. “...Missouri recruited me hard, they made me feel wanted, and I know I will have great support there.”
Wesolak was originally a five-star recruit before facing first-degree harassment and fourth-degree assault charges in March that were dismissed by the Cooper County Prosecutor’s Office in late November.
According to KOMU, Wesolak, then 17, was accused in charging documents of forcing himself onto a girl at a party, grabbing her by the neck and forcing her to kiss him before she pushed Wesolak off of her.
The prosecutor’s office said it entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with Wesolak, who turned 18 in September.
“This agreement takes into account his age and lack of criminal history while holding him accountable for his actions,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
With the addition of Wesolak, Drinkwitz has four of the top 10 players in the state of Missouri on board for the 2022 class. Wesolak, 6-foot-4 and 235 pounds, and is ranked as the No. 93 player in the class by ESPN. The 247 Sports Composite lists him as No. 193 overall, the No. 14 edge and No. 4 player in the state. He’s one of 100 high school players selected to the All-American Bowl, which will air Jan. 8 on NBC.
2022 Mizzou Tigers recruiting class
Player, Position, Ranking, Height, Weight, Previous school (Location)
Luther Burden, WR, 5-star, 6-0, 200, East St. Louis (East St. Louis, Illinois) *
Sam Horn, QB, 4-star, 6-4, 190, Collins Hill (Suwanee, Georgia) *
Tavorus Jones, RB, 4-star, 5-10, 195, Burges (El Paso, Texas) *
DJ Wesolak, DL, 4-star, 6-4, 235, Boonville (Boonville, Missouri) *
Deshawn Woods, OL, 4-star, 6-4, 270, Central (Omaha, Nebraska)
Marquis Gracial, DL, 4-star, 6-4, 310, St. Charles (Saint Charles, Missouri) *
Isaac Thompson, S, 4-star, 6-2, 205, St. Louis University (St. Louis) *
Ja’Marion Wayne, WR, 4-star, 6-3, 180, Parkway West (Ballwin, Missouri) *
Marcus Scott II, DB, 3-star, 6-2, 170, Conroe (Conroe, Texas) *
Xavier Simmons, LB, 3-star, 6-3, 235, Northwest Guilford (Greensboro, North Carolina) *
Armand Membou, OL, 3-star, 6-4, 320, Lee’s Summit North (Lee’s Summit, Missouri) *
Mekhi Miller, WR, 3-star, 6-1, 185, Blue Valley North (Blue Valley, Kansas) *
Jalen Marshall, DL, 3-star, 6-5, 275, St. Thomas Aquinas (Overland Park, Kansas) *
Max Whisner, TE, 3-star, 6-6, 240, Lee’s Summit (Lee’s Summit, Missouri) *
Tristan Wilson, OL, 3-star, 6-5, 295, Lebanon (Lebanon, Missouri) *
Valen Erickson, OT, 3-star, 6-6, 280, St. Rita (Chicago) *
— Source of rankings: 247 Sports (CBS)
* — Announced as signed by the school
This story was originally published December 15, 2021 at 3:38 PM.
