Mizzou Tigers football recruiting: Drinkwitz’s historic 2022 class takes shape today

Eliah Drinkwitz and the Missouri Tigers are seeing a historic 2022 recruiting class taking shape Wednesday.

Drinkwitz has placed a big emphasis on recruiting ever since he took over the football program in December 2019. The coach made a splash with a top-30 class in 2021 but his vision fully comes to life through this year’s efforts, which have the Tigers en route to sign the best class since the modern recruiting era started around two decades ago.

Entering Wednesday, the start of the early national signing period, Mizzou’s 2022 class is ranked No. 13 in the country and fifth in the SEC by 247 Sports. Rivals has the class at No. 17 in the nation and seventh in the SEC.

The Tigers have 15 players committed and expected to sign, highlighted by five-star wide receiver Luther Burden out of East St. Louis High School. The No. 3 overall player in the nation, Burden chose to stay close to home and play for Mizzou over the likes of Georgia and Alabama.

There are also six four-star players on board, including the future under center in Sam Horn, who just won the Georgia 7A state championship and is widely rated as a top-10 quarterback in the country.

This should be an exciting day for Mizzou football. Follow along here for updates.

Wednesday’s signings

Mizzou had its first National Letter of Intent come in at 6:21 a.m. Wednesday from Horn. The four-star quarterback committed to the Tigers on Feb. 28 and his stock has continued to rise.

Horn is the No. 9 quarterback in the country and No. 125 player in the class, per the 247 Sports Composite. Rivals has him listed much higher as the 68th best player in the country, while his ESPN ranking is on the lower end of the spectrum at No. 164. Regardless of the number, he has the potential to be a franchise quarterback for the Tigers.

Another East Coast talent, linebacker Xavier Simmons, was the second player to sign with the Tigers. Simmons, who gave his pledge to the program on Aug. 14, is a three-star out of Greensboro, North Carolina. The 247 Sports Composite ranks him as the No. 393 player in the country and the No. 39 linebacker.

Mizzou signed its third player of the day at 7:10 a.m. in defensive back Marcus Scott II. The Conroe, Texas, native is the No. 385 player in the class and No. 40 cornerback, per the 247 Sports Composite. Scott was originally committed to LSU, but decommitted and flipped to the MU Tigers on June 13.

Offensive lineman Tristan Wilson was the first in-state player to sign Wednesday. The Lebanon, Missouri, native put pen to paper at 7:22 a.m. Wilson is a three-star and the No. 17 player in the state, according to the 247 Sports Composite.

Tight end Max Whisner became the first Kansas City area player on board when he signed at 7:35 a.m. He was an early commit for the class, originally announcing his pledge to the program on Sept. 21, 2020.

Four-star wide receiver Ja’Marion Wayne kept the local train rolling when he signed at 7:54 a.m. Out of Ballwin, Missouri, Wayne is the No. 275 player in the class, No. 42 wide receiver and No. 6 player in the state, per the 247 Sports Composite. He was an early member of the Tigers’ 2022 class as well, committing to the program on Dec. 18, 2020.

Offensive tackle Valen Erickson was the seventh player on board at 8:08 a.m. The Chicago native committed in September. He is a three-star recruit.

St. Louis product Isaac Thompson signed with Mizzou at 8:18 a.m., well over a year after he committed on Dec. 4, 2020. The four-star is the No. 5 player in the state of Missouri, No. 205 overall and 16th best safety in the class, according to the 247 Sports Composite.

Another Kansas City area product, Jalen Marshall, signed with the Tigers at 8:39 a.m. The three-star defensive lineman out of St. Thomas Aquinas is the No. 5 player in the state of Kansas, per the 247 Sports Composite. He originally committed on July 13, 2021.

Three-star wide receiver Mekhi Miller, also from the Kansas City area in Overland Park, brought Mizzou up to double-digits as the 10th signee of the day at 8:55 a.m. Miller, who committed to the Tigers on Jan. 20, 2021, is ranked as the No. 3 best player in the Kansas, according to the 247 Sports Composite.

Four-star defensive lineman Marquis Gracial was the 11th player to sign at 9:06 a.m. The Saint Charles, Missouri product provides key size in the trenches at 6-foot-4, 310 pounds, and he is a top-200 player in the class. The 247 Sports Composite ranks Gracial as the No. 186 overall player, No. 25 defensive lineman and No. 3 prospect in the state of Missouri. He could make a big impact early at a position that struggled at times this past season.

The biggest signing of the day came at 9:17 a.m. when five-star Luther Burden officially put pen to paper and became a Mizzou Tiger. The East St. Louis product is the top wide receiver and No. 3 player in the nation, per the 247 Sports Composite. He chose to stay close to home at Missouri when he committed over the likes of powerhouses Georgia and Alabama on Oct. 19

Burden is the second best recruit in Mizzou football history and he is expected to play a huge factor in the offense right away.

Armand Membou, a three-star offensive lineman out of Lee’s Summit North High School, was the 13 player to sign with the Tigers at 9:38 a.m. The 6-foot-4, 320 pound Kansas City native is the No. 11 player in the state of Missouri, according to the 247 Sports Composite.

Four-star running back Tavorus Jones, a native of El Paso, Texas, signed at 9:51 a.m. Jones is the No. 161 player in the 2022 class and the No. 13 running back, per the 247 Sports Composite. With star back Tyler Badie set to move on to the NFL, Jones will be in competion for a big role right away.

Drinkwitz picked up another commitment Wednesday afternoon from four-star defensive end DJ Wesolak of Boonville, who picked the Tigers over LSU, Georgia, Alabama and USC, among others.

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 5:00 AM.

Lila Bromberg

The Kansas City Star

Lila Bromberg covers the Missouri Tigers for the Kansas City Star. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland and was ranked as the best college sports reporter in the country by the Associated Press Sports Editors in 2021. In addition to covering the Terrapins for four years, Bromberg has worked for Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports and USA TODAY Sports.