The 2021 Missouri Football Recruiting Class: Checking in on ALL the ‘Croots

I am an absolute masochist.

I have been keeping track of every recruit in the 2021 recruiting class that has an official Missouri offer and updating it when they commit or new official offers are made known (and official).

I have 231 players in this spreadsheet. And I’m sure I’m missing a few.

But with the recent commitments of Dominic Lovett to Arizona State (booooo) and Kyran Montgomery to Missouri (yaaaaaaay), now is as good a time as any to review the list as it’s currently constructed and see who was offered, who’s left, and who the Tigers are still looking to grab. Keep in mind, some of these guys were Odom-offers and some were Drinkwtiz-offers, so whether the current staff would take all these kids is an unknown to an outsider like myself, but I left them all on here.

Quarterbacks

I know the Missouri fan base doesn’t think any Missouri coaching staff chases the blue-chip talents it needs to find success, but as you scroll through these lists, you’ll notice that they definitely do. It’s just hard to attract that sort of talent to Missouri because our bagmen suck the history, four-year record, and NFL track record isn’t as big of a pull as some other schools. But the Tigers have definitely chased some highly ranked dudes; they just can’t always land them. In this case, however, the Tigers did land their guy who developed into a blue-chip prospect, Tyler Macon. He is still seemingly solidly in the Tigers’ camp and would be the only quarterback signed in this class. Alabama dual threat Lamarcus Brown is apparently a Missouri lean at this point, but probably doesn’t have a commitable offer unless Macon winds up elsewhere.

Running Backs

Taj Butts and B.J. Harris are the current commits, and if that stands, they’ll be the only ones for 2021. I’m sure you’re curious so here’s the answer:

• 5-star Camar Wheaton is a heavy Oklahoma lean
• 4-star Donovan Edwards is a Michigan favorite
• 4-star Cam’Ron Valdez is a near lock for Texas Tech

Missouri is not going to land any of those three. Lol

Wide Receiver

Wide receiver has been a position that Drinkwitz’s team of recruiters has had some trouble with. They had gone full pressure on getting both Keontez Lewis and Dominic Lovett out of East St. Louis, especially with Tyler Macon as an effective recruiting tool, but both Flyer receivers are heading west— Lewis to UCLA and Lovett to Arizona State. Blue-chippers Jayden Thomas and Quenton Barnes are near locks for Notre Dame and Tennessee, respectively, while perfectly palindrome-named Semaj James is probably winding up at LSU. That leaves Jaden Payne out of Antioch, TN and the excessively-E’d Reece Jesse as the remaining targets that Mizzou can probably land. If they strike out on those two, you can expect the staff to look to the transfer market once again to fill out the receiver depth. Even with nine receivers on the roster after this year, it would still be nice to have at least one young receiver in this class to attempt some balance across the years.

Tight End

Missouri nabbed two tight ends early in the recruiting year with Gavin McKay and Ryan Hoerstkamp. Hoerstkamp has seen his stock rise as blue blood programs, including Alabama, have sent him offers. But for now, both he and McKay are still committed to Mizzou and the Tigers aren’t looking to take anyone else.

Offensive Tackles

The Drinkwitz team has offered a ton of offensive linemen in this class; partly because you need to offer a lot of linemen to successfully get a handful to sign, but also because they can see that it’s an area that needs a talent upgrade. Most of those linemen offers have gone to tackles, and while Missouri got an early steal with Connor Tollison out of Jackson, MO, they would still really like to get Gadsden, AL product Rod Orr to pair with him, but will be duking it out with Florida State and Ole Miss.

Interior Offensive Line

Missouri really wanted to land Ezra Dotson-Oyetade, but he committed to Arizona State on August 24th. I’m sure Mizzou is still in his ear every day, but the Tigers would actually be okay if they didn’t get any specific interior linemen in this class. Yes, Michael Maietti is a one-year stop-gap at center, but Thalen Robinson has some center experience, as do the 2020 freshmen linemen. Don’t be surprised if no guards or centers join in ‘21.

Defensive Ends

It’s no secret that defensive line is the biggest position of need; it’s also a position that has the most offers, and pleasantly, the most success. The commitments of Travion Ford and Kyran Montgomery were huge statements for Drinkwitz’s recruiting acumen and also big wins for filling holes in the roster. The recommitment of JUCO end Shemar Pearl and freshman Jonathan Jones are great for building depth, while JUCO Daniel Robledo will probably translate to defensive tackle. Of the uncommitted on this list, Khristian Zachary and Patrick Tukes are Mizzou leans; it’s unclear if the staff will still take Zachary at this point, but Tukes is projected as a tackle, so if he wants a spot the Tigers will definitely take him.

Defensive Tackles

So far, it’s Mekhi Wingo as a commitment with Boaz Saint-Vil and Jalen Williams as possible additions (as well as Patrick Tukes, listed with the ends). Saint-Vil is projected as a Mizzou commit while the unranked Williams is almost totally unknown as far as interest level, with Georgia, Florida State, Minnesota, and Ole Miss as other potential suitors. Even with four tackles possibly leaving after this season (since eligibility is frozen for the year...still the dumbest thing about this season), the Tigers will have four on the roster but only one underclassman. It would be nice to have one other incoming freshman for class balance purposes.

Linebackers

In a 4-2-5 defensive scheme, there’s only two true linebackers that are needed. Missouri currently has 9 guys for two spots and are bringing in two guys in with Zachary Lovett and Dameon Wilson. Even with potentially three guys leaving the roster after 2020 — Jamal Brooks, Aubrey Miller and Nick Bolton — I was surprised that they took any linebackers in this class, let alone two, but I feel confident that they won’t be taking anymore.

Cornerbacks

The Tigers have four guys projected as corners in the 2021 class, so they’re most definitely good for now. Daylan Carnell was the big splash blue-chip commit while Darius Jackson, Zxaequan Reeves, and Davion Sistrunk will be filling out the rest of the roster. Nyland Green is the only uncommitted guy of the group here but is a near-lock for Georgia. Don’t expect any other additions to this group for the ‘21 class.

Safeties

Tyler Hibbler is the lone commit for the safeties right now, but it looks like the Tigers would take one more, especially if it’s Andrew Mukuba. Nabbing Mukuba’s services won’t be easy, however, since the Tigers will be going up against Alabama, Clemson and Texas, who are the current clubhouse leaders. If the Tigers strike out on Mukuba, they’ll probably take a JUCO/transfer safety or maybe an overlooked high school recruit to partner with Hibbler and replace the (probably) departing Joshuah Bledsoe and Tyree Gillespie.

Athletes

The aforementioned Sistrunk is projected as a corner while the rest of the athlete targets are already committed. There probably won’t be much more noise from this group of recruits for the rest of the recruiting season.