Eli Drinkwitz is Finally Hot on the 2026 Recruiting Trail: The Extra Point

It took some time, but Drinkwitz is building serious momentum on the recruiting trail after a few big commitments.

Sep 6, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers coach Eli Drinkwitz during his appearance on "SEC Nation" ahead of the renewed Border Showdown between the Tigers and Kansas Jayhawks at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. | Matt Guzman/MissouriOnSI

Missouri Tigers on SI football reporter Michael Stamps recaps the hot recruiting streak Eli Drinkwitz is on and what's next for the Tigers in the class of 2026.

Welcome to Missouri Tigers On SI's "Extra Point," a video series featuring the site's Missouri beat writers. Multiple times a week, the writers provide analysis on a topic concerning the Tigers or the landscape of college sports.

It took a little while, but Missouri Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz and his coaching staff are finally picking up some momentum on the 2026 recruiting trail. Since Sept. 25, the Tigers have landed four 2026 commitments, two of whom are ranked as four-stars.

The most recent of the four is four-star running back TJ Hodges, a top-20 running back from Bryant, Arkansas. The Tigers also circled back on four-star linebacker JJ Bush, who recently de-committed from Arkansas, and landed the Theodore, Alabama, native.

Missouri's 2026 recruiting additions likely aren't done. Players like four-star offensive tackle Johnnie Jones, four-star defensive tackle Tajh Overton and three-star center Brysen Wessell are all still at the top of Missouri's hot board, among others.

2026 Mizzou Football Recruiting Targets

4-Star OT Johnnie Jones - Venice, Florida
4-Star LB Duyon Forkpa Jr. - Baltimore, Maryland
4-Star LB Braylon Hodge (Michigan State) - Englewood, Colorado
4-Star DT Tajh Overton (Oklahoma State) - Owasso, Oklahoma
3-Star DT Jae'Lin Battle (Baylor) - Edmond, Oklahoma
3-Star C Brysen Wessell - Jackson, Missouri
3-Star DT Ari Slocum - Farmerville, Louisiana
3-Star CB Brody Jones (Cincinnati) - Fayetteville, Arkansas
3-Star CB Ahmod Billins - Abbeville, Alabama (1000)
3-Star S Karaijus Hayes - Sarasota, Florida (1106)
3-Star OT Ben Mubenga - Buford, Georgia (1169)

2026 Football Commitments

1. QB Gavin Sidwar, 6-foot-3, 190 lbs. - Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania (Committed 04/18/2025)
2. LB Keenan Harris, 6-foot-1, 210 lbs. - St. Louis (Committed 05/23/25)
3. WR Jabari Brady, 6-foot-1, 205 lbs - Pompano Beach, Florida (Committed 06/07/2025)
4. TE Isaac Jensen, 6-foot-6, 230 lbs - Omaha, Nebraska (Committed 06/09/2025)
5. RB Maxwell Warner, 5-foot-10, 185 lbs - Chicago (Committed 06/23/2025)
6. OL Khalief Canty, 6-foot-5, 305 lbs - Detroit (Committed 6/24/2025)
7. WR Devyon Hill-Lomax, 6-foot-4, 180 lbs. - Edwardsville, Illinois (Committed 06/25/2025)
8. OL Brandon Anderson, 6-foot-3, 326 lbs, - Kennesaw, Georgia (Committed 06/29/2025)
9. IOL Braylon Ellison, 6-foot-4, 285 lbs. - Boonville, Missouri (Committed 07/01/2025)
10. S Tony Forney Jr., 5-foot-11, 180 lbs. - Marietta, Georgia (Committed 07/04/2025)
11. DL DeMarcus Johnson, 6-foot-8, 260 lbs. - Missouri City, Texas (Committed 09/25/2025)
12. EDGE Micah Nickerson, 6-foot-5, 215 lbs. - Magnolia, Mississippi (Committed 09/28/2025)
13. LB JJ Bush. 6-foot-3, 210 lbs. - Theodore, Alabama (Committed 10/03/2025)
14. RB Terry Hodges, 6-foot, 180 lbs. - Bryant, Arkansas (Committed 10/04/2025)

Check out the Missouri football recruiting tracker to stay up to date with the 2026 recruiting class and beyond.