Earlier today, Brandon Kiley posted an article entitled, “Eli Drinkwitz is building something potentially special at Missouri.” You should read it. It’s very good!
I recognize that’s not much of a lede, but it does feel appropriate to the moment. Mizzou is 4-3, and has a decent shot at getting to 6 wins. They’ve won four of five. Drinkwitz is in the midst of an SEC Coach of the Year race.
And if that wasn’t enough, Drinkwitz continues to show he may be the best recruiter Missouri has had this century. With a Top 25 class in hand for 2021, Drinkwitz won a major 2022 battle on Friday, landing another blue chip recruit out of St. Louis.
Isaac Thompson ranks in the top 150 football recruits by both Rivals and 247 Sports. He’s one of the crown jewels of a loaded 2022 in-state class. And he’s going to play at the University of Missouri.
The road wasn’t easy. Just a few weeks ago, Thompson visited the University of Michigan and a wave of Wolverine predictions flooded the major recruiting services. After all, who gets the full court press from Jim Harbaugh and says no?
But as the Wolverines started to fall apart on the field, Missouri kept putting checks in the win column. Drinkwitz kept the pressure on Thompson. And Friday it paid off.
Eli Drinkwitz is building something potentially special at the University of Missouri. Isaac Thompson clearly thinks so, and he wants to be a part of it.
Always been HOME... COMMITTED pic.twitter.com/WFbvoTGB3W
— isaac thompson (@isaacthompson__) December 4, 2020
Get to know: Isaac Thompson
Hometown: St. Louis, MO
High School: St. Louis University High
Position: Safety
Ht/Wt: 6’2”, 190 lbs
Rivals Ranking: 5.8, 4-star
247Composite Ranking: 0.9371, 4-star
Total announced offers: 33
Offers to note: Arkansas, Michigan (Other Finalists); Auburn, LSU, Texas, Penn State
You know the phrase that comes up every time a defensive back drops an interception? “There’s a reason he’s playing defense.” This doesn’t necessarily apply to Thompson, who has played a lot of wide receiver for SLUH. And those receiver skills add an extra element to his game as a safety. Not only is Thompson long, smooth and athletic — he’s got great ball skills for a high schooler. If you watch him in coverage in the above video, both his read on the ball and his timing are spectacular. Even when he’s not on the receiver, he uses his length at just the right time to sneak a hand in or disrupt the eye line. And when he does read the play well, he uses his verticality to pinpoint the ball at the right spot. Thompson is about as blue-chip a recruit as Missouri ever gets, and he has the makings of a star in black and gold already.
What they’re saying:
Isaac Thompson, four-star 2022 recruit from SLUH, commits to Missouri. Huge for Eli Drinkwitz. Michigan, Arkansas, Florida, Texas were his other top choices.
— Dave Matter (@Dave_Matter) December 4, 2020
Four-star St. Louis safety Isaac Thompson has officially committed to #Mizzou. Second commit in the class for the Tigers. Thompson is ranked the No. 135 prospect in the country. https://t.co/8WZMoxHAQh
— Mitchell Forde (@Mitchell4D) December 4, 2020
Four-star safety Isaac Thompson (SLUH/St. Louis) picks Mizzou over Michigan, Arkansas, Texas and Florida.
— Peter Baugh (@Peter_Baugh) December 4, 2020
Huge for Eliah Drinkwitz and his staff. pic.twitter.com/2muiGgUC2K
Isaac Thompson, a Junior 4 star defensive back at SLUH, chooses @MizzouFootball pic.twitter.com/0f5rVKRScz
— Frank Cusumano (@Frank_Cusumano) December 4, 2020
Mizzou 2024 Commitment List
Pos | Recruit Name | Hometown | Commitment Date | Rivals Rate | Rivals Rank | 247 Rate | 247 Rank | Ht | Wt |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pos | Recruit Name | Hometown | Commitment Date | Rivals Rate | Rivals Rank | 247 Rate | 247 Rank | Ht | Wt |
TE | Whit Hafer | Joplin, MO | 2/25/2023 | 3-star | 5.6 | 3-star | 0.8639 | 6'7 | 230 |
TE-OL | Ryan Jostes | Washington, MO | 3/11/2023 | 3-star | 5.6 | 3-star | 0.8664 | 6'6 | 280 |
QB | Aidan Glover | Colliervillle, TN | 6/15/2023 | 3-star | 5.7 | 3-star | 0.8828 | 6'3 | 190 |
WR-S | Jude James | St. Charles, MO | 6/30/2023 | 3-star | 5.60 | 3-star | 0.8567 | 6'4 | 200 |
ATH | Jackson Hancock | Canton, GA | 6/30/2023 | 3-star | 5.6 | 3-star | 0.8672 | 6'0 | 175 |
DT | Justin Bodford | Ft. Lauderdale, FL | 7/2/2023 | 3-star | 5.7 | 3-star | 0.8481 | 6'1 | 290 |
LB | Nicholas Rodriguez | Ft. Lauderdale, FL | 7/3/2023 | 4-star | 5.8 | 3-star | 0.8775 | 6'1 | 190 |
WR | James Madison II | Ft. Lauderdale, FL | 7/4/2023 | 4-star | 5.8 | 4-star | 0.8925 | 6'3 | 190 |
CB | Cameron Keys | Lynn Haven, FL | 7/4/2023 | 3-star | 5.6 | 4-star | 0.8864 | 6'0 | 160 |
LB | Brian Huff | Jonesboro, AR | 7/12/2023 | 4-star | 5.8 | 4-star | 0.9021 | 6'3 | 224 |
DE | Williams Nwaneri | Lee's Summit, MO | 8/14/2023 | 5-star | 6.1 | 5-star | 0.9992 | 6'5 | 250 |
DE | Jaylen Brown | Madison, AL | 8/22/2023 | 3-star | 5.5 | 3-star | 0.8611 | 6'6 | 230 |
DE | Elias Williams | Hudson, FL | 9/1/2023 | 4-star | 5.8 | 4-star | 0.8924 | 6'4 | 270 |
ATH | Austyn Dendy | Pine Bluff, AR | 9/30/2023 | 3-star | 5.6 | 3-star | 0.8719 | 6'1 | 200 |
OL | Talan Chandler | Nevada, MO | 11/19/2023 | 3-star | 5.6 | 3-star | 0.8753 | 6'3 | 292 |
RB | Kewan Lacy | Lancaster, TX | 12/14/2023 | 4-star | 5.8 | 4-star | 0.9153 | 6'0 | 205 |
OL | Caleb Pyfrom | Omaha, NE | 12/18/2023 | 3-star | 5.7 | 3-star | 0.8753 | 6'5 | 315 |
WR | Courtney Crutchfield | Pine Bluff, AR | 12/19/2023 | 4-star | 5.8 | 4-star | 0.9380 | 6'2 | 175 |
CB | Jaren Sensabaugh | Nashville, TN | 12/19/2023 | 3-star | 5.7 | 3-star | 0.8722 | 6'0 | 160 |
S | Trajen Greco | Hoschton, GA | 1/6/2024 | 3-star | 5.6 | 4-star | 0.9137 | 6'0 | 180 |
5.7 | 0.8879 |