Eli Drinkwitz Shares His Thoughts on Mizzou's 2026 Signing Class

Drinkwitz discussed his brand new freshman class during a press conference on Wednesday, Dec. 3.

Nov 8, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz reacts during the first half against the Texas A&M Aggies at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Eli Drinkwitz and the Missouri Tigers officially have their 2026 recruiting class stamped, bringing in 19 new freshmen to the roster. This was the first step in their process of the offseason, with the hopes of revamping the roster for next year.

The class as a whole is ranked No. 36 in the country with multiple four-star recruits littered throughout. A few late flips in the class lowered their national rank, which sat at No. 25 prior to defensive end Micah Nickerson switching his decision to Mississippi State and safety Tony Forney Jr. to Pittsburgh.

Regardless, Drinkwitz and the Tigers are bringing in plenty of talent for next season in terms of the freshman class. This isn't anything new for Missouri during the Drinkwitz era.

"We're continuing to recruit at a high level, even in a time where high school recruiting has been de-emphasized because of the portal," Drinkwitz said on Wednesday. "We got 19 signees, 10 on offense, nine on defense, eight different signees were rated four-star or higher."

One of the highlights of the class is the quarterback Drinkwitz brought in. Three-star Pennsylvania native Gavin Sidwar has all the tools to be a quarterback in the Southeastern Conference, starting with his accuracy and arm strength and finishing with his leadership ability.

“I think Gavin is an extremely talented thrower," Drinkwitz said. "I think he's got elite arm strength, obviously, a winner and a leader, leading his team to the state championship appearance this week. He's got really good anticipation, throws the ball really well, and he's just the right fit for us."

With the hopes of protecting Sidwar in the future, Drinkwitz and offensive line coach Brandon Jones opted to add five offensive linemen to the 2026 class. The highlight of that group was four-star tackle Johnnie Jones, who could be a quick contributor.

In general, having a plethora of young offensive linemen is never a bad problem. It's a position that relies on plenty of development and the Tigers have done plenty of that over the last few seasons on the offensive line.

“I think offensive line is a developmental position, so if you can get the guys with the right STI — size, toughness and instincts, and then get a chance to develop them in coach (Ryan) Russell’s strength program," Drinkwitz said. "Those guys aren't as easy to find out of the portal as you want."

The Tigers also added two explosive wide receivers, with the hope of adding some size and speed to the room. Three stars Jabari Brady and Devyon Hill-Lomax can be exactly that for Drinkwitz, especially in the size department.

Brady is 6-foot-1.5, 205 pounds and Hill-Lomax is 6-foot-4, 180 pounds. Both are big and both also have track speed, adding some versatility that the Tigers didn't exactly have during this most recent season.

“We needed to get more size in the receiver room, and felt like that both Jabari and Devyon presented that size and speed and length and the ability to make contested catches," Drinkwitz said. "Last year, we got some really good players, but it wasn't at the height that we needed, and so we got to do a good job of always balancing that room out, and those two guys do that.”

On the other side of the ball, Drinkwitz and his staff dipped into the junior college pool to bolster the defensive line. DeMarcus Johnson is a monster of an edge rusher, using his 6-foot-7 frame to bully JUCO offensive tackles. There's a chance that he's able to play right away next season.

The only thing that may hold him back from that is the level of competition that Johnson faced at Hutchinson Community College, along with the way that practices are run. There will be a significant change in intensity and speed once Johnson arrives in Columbia.

“I think it's obviously a different level of competition," Drinkwitz said. "So there's a level of growth in what they've done. Really, the biggest thing for junior college players is to get acclimated to how we do things here. It will be a little bit more structured than maybe what they were accustomed to."

The Tigers don't yet know their bowl game destination and will also begin to deal with the transfer portal that opens on Jan 2.

2026 Football Signees

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 07/01/25)
10. DL DeMarcus Johnson, 6-foot-7, 260 lbs. - Missouri City, Texas (Committed 09/25/2025)
11. LB JJ Bush, 6-foot-3, 210 lbs. - Theodore, Alabama (Committed 10/03/2025)
12. IOL Brysen Wessell, 6-foot-5, 260 lbs. - Jackson, Missouri (Committed 10/11/2025)
13. OT Johnnie Jones, 6-foot-7, 305 lbs. - Venice, Florida (Committed 10/11/2025)
14. S Carter Stewart, 6-foot-1, 170 lbs. - Pearland, Texas (Committed 10/13/2025)
15. S Brody Jones, 6-foot-3, 175 lbs. - Fayetteville, Arkansas (Committed 10/13/2025)
16. DT Tajh Overton, 6-foot-3, 275 lbs. - Owasso, Oklahoma (Committed 10/17/2025)
17. CB Ahmod Billins, 6-foot-2, 175 lbs. - Abbeville, Alabama (Committed 10/25/2025)
18. CB Jaxson Gates, 6-foot-1, 170 lbs. - La Verne, California (Committed 10/31/2025)
19. S Jayden McGregory, 6-foot-2, 195 lbs. - Des Moines, Iowa (Committed 11/19/2025)