Mizzou took a rare recruiting loss earlier this week when Keontez Lewis, a priority WR target out of East St. Louis, chose UCLA after weeks of speculation that he would head to Columbia.

But Eli Drinkwitz is never down for long in his early days as the Tiger head coach. On Saturday afternoon, Drinkwitz sounded the alarm that another young player was joining the 2021 class. Just minutes later, Jonathan Jones announced his commitment to the Tigers over the likes of Baylor, Colorado, Nebraska and his home state Texas Longhorns.

Jones joins what’s turning out to be a stacked defensive line class, including the jewel of the class so far, Travion Ford, local star Mekhi Wingo and JUCO standout Shemar Pearl.

Get to know: Jonathan Jones

Hometown: McKinney, TX

High School: McKinney

Position: Defensive end

Ht/Wt: 6’4”, 240 pounds

Rivals Ranking: 3-star, 5.5

247Composite Ranking: 3-star, 0.8573

Total announced offers: 27

Offers to note: Baylor, Colorado, Nebraska, Texas

Sometimes you have to know your strengths as a player, and it looks like Jones is well aware of his — the fact that he’s huge. Of course, 6’4” may not seem massive for a defensive end, but Jones plays even bigger than his measurables, bullying smaller defenders and throwing his weight around like a tank. He’s incredibly disruptive off the edge, using his long arms to wrap up backs before they can break through any holes in the line. There may be some question as to how he’ll fare against the hosses inhabiting most SEC offensive lines, but he’s likely to bulk up a bit in a college weight room and may even add some more height if he’s lucky. Having a boulder like Jones on the line is never a problem, and he looks to be another great candidate to restore the recent heritage of #DLineZou.

What they’re saying:

Welcome, Jonathan! M-I-Z!