Mizzou Football Recruiting Reset: Where does Mizzou still need to focus its recruiting attention?

Remember in late June when it seemed like Mizzou was getting a new 2021 commitment every day? Things have slowed down a bit in recent weeks. The Tigers find themselves in a bit of a drought when it comes to recruiting commits.

This is nothing to be concerned about, of course.

When you have an initial wave of commitments the way the Tigers did early in the summer, a dry spell is to be expected.

So, where does it leave Eli Drinkwitz and the Tigers’ staff as they shift their focus from the offseason to the regular season? Where is this class still lacking numbers? Let’s take stock as we enter the final month (hopefully) without SEC football games in our lives.

How many scholarships does Drinkwitz have to work with?

Let’s do a little roster math, shall we? Mizzou currently has 21 seniors on scholarship. All 21 of those players will move on after the season. That means, at a minimum, Drinkwitz has 21 scholarships to use for his 2021 class.

But, let’s be honest, we all know how this goes. Every year a few players transfer for one reason or another. With that in mind, we’ll conservatively project four players to transfer after the season.

That sets the bar for Drinkwitz’s first full recruiting cycle at 25 players.

What positions do the Tigers still need to target?

Quarterback: 0 seniors, 1 commit

Mizzou already has 3-star East St. Louis product Tyler Macon committed, and none of the current quarterbacks on the roster are projected to move on after the season. I wouldn’t expect any new targets to emerge at quarterback for the 2021 class. Expect at least one or two targets in 2022.

Running Back: 2 seniors, 2 commits

Drink did a good job of getting two early commits at running back in 3 stars Taj Butts & BJ Harris. That might be enough, but this is a position worth watching.

Tyler Badie is only a junior but if he has another special season, he could test the waters for next year’s the NFL Draft. If that ends up being the case, it could make room for another running back in this class.

Wide Receiver: 3 seniors, 0 commits

It’s clear Drinkwitz made receiver a priority from the day he got the job. He landed three receivers in the 2020 recruiting class, and added two more graduate transfers in Damon Hazelton and Keke Chism.

With three receivers set to graduate after the season, I would expect at least a couple targets to emerge, with the #1 player on the board residing in East St. Louis— 4-star Dominic Lovett.

Tight End: 1 senior, 2 commits

Brendan Scales is moving on after the year, but the Tigers already have two tight ends committed for next year and Daniel Parker Jr. still has another year of eligibility.

Barring something unforeseen, I suspect they’re set at the position for this class.

Offensive Line: 2 seniors, 1 commit

Offensive line is going to be one of the top priorities for the staff moving forward. Expect at least one or two more commitments in this class. A few of the top targets have committed elsewhere in recent weeks.

Defensive Line: 7 seniors, 5 commits

RED ALERT!

I REPEAT, RED ALERT!

If there’s a top priority for this staff moving forward, it’s the defensive line. The Tigers have four defensive tackles and three defensive ends set to move on after this season. They have a total of eight defensive ends and five defensive tackles projected to be on the 2021 roster.

They might be done at defensive end. But, umm, let’s get some big boys to Columbia, shall we? Akial Byers, Chris Daniels, Markell Utsey and Kobie Whiteside all move on after the season. The Tigers currently have one true defensive tackle committed, depending on where the staff sees 6-foot-5, 280-pound 3-star JUCO defensive end Daniel Robledo playing in the future. Expect the Tigers to add at least 2-3 more defensive tackles in this class.

Linebacker: 2 seniors, 2 commits

This could be a position worth watching, depending on what happens with Nick Bolton. I think the staff could very well stand pat with the current commits, but Bolton deciding to declare for the draft could open up another spot.

Cornerback: 1 senior, 4 commits

Cornerback was another priority early for Eli Drinkwitz and the Tigers’ defensive staff, and for good reason. This defense needed an infusion of youth and talent at the position. One thing worth keeping in mind is that some of the cornerback targets very well could move to safety down the road. There’s some versatility given the size and length the current staff prioritizes in their evaluations.

Safety: 2 seniors, 1 commit

This all depends on how the staff feels about the current cornerback commits. It wouldn’t be a surprise if they decide to take one more safety, but they could view the cornerback commits as hybrids. If that’s the case, Standing pat with Tyler Hibbler as the only safety addition wouldn’t be a huge shock.

What it all means:

The Tigers have 18 known commitments for the 2021 class. That leaves seven scholarships for the upcoming class if we’re working off the belief that they’ll have 25 spots.

If I had to give my best guess on how that will break down for the new commits, I would project it as follows:

Wide Receiver: 1-2 more commit

Offensive line: 2-3 more commits

Defensive line: 2-3 more commits

As always, recruiting is fluid. Every coaching staff makes exceptions for players of a certain caliber. And more spots could open up depending on how the season goes, how many players decide to transfer after the season and what an individual player’s NFL Draft prospects look like after the season.