Mizzou honors Johnnie 'DJ' Jones, speaks on freshman OT after win over Texas A&M

The past week was one of many emotions for Missouri football. Following Missouri’s win over Florida on Oct. 3, coach Eli Drinkwitz said in his postgame television interview that the team was “praying for” offensive tackle Johnnie "DJ" Jones.

Jones hadn’t played this season. When asked about Jones at Tuesday’s press conference, Drinkwitz explained the full story: the team discovered a problem with Jones’ heart at freshman intake, then sent him off to Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, for a second opinion.

Earlier this week, it was revealed Jones needed a heart transplant.

“It's tough right now,” Drinkwitz said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family as they go through this. I know Johnnie was watching our game. It's just hard, a(n) 18-year-old with everything in front of him, and you're just not prepared for that kind of news. Our team wasn't prepared for that kind of news, but we're praying for him and I know a lot of Mizzou fans will hopefully join in that prayer because he does need help in a hurry. We're pulling for you, buddy."

With his life in danger, Jones’ received a heart transplant and underwent surgery from Wednesday night to Thursday morning.

“We knew we needed a tragedy to save a life. It was sad for all of us. He FaceTimed me and our staff on Tuesday night and told us they found him a heart, it was unbelievable joy."

Jones underwent successful surgery and is recovering, now facing a long road ahead. There is a Support Now page available to donate to Jones and his family.

For Missouri’s game against Texas A&M on Saturday, the team wore helmets with a heart that read “DJ” in honor of Jones.

A closer look at the “DJ” heart on #Mizzou’s helmets. It’s for freshman OT Johnnie Jones, who received a heart transplant Wednesday night / Thursday morning and is in recovery. pic.twitter.com/bj9ymOy3Ku
— Killian Wright (@byKillianWright) October 10, 2026

“I talked to Johnny a few times. You know, throughout this whole thing, and I'm just really loving the fact that he's been positive throughout this whole entire period in his life,” Quarterback Austin Simmons said. “It's a rough patch, and he's been going through a lot mentally and physically, of course. He's been talking to us in our group chat with the team, and it's just great hearing from a lot. So my prayers go out to him, and I'm just wishing the best and to be recovered.”

Jones’ successful surgery is a tremendously positive sign, but his journey is far from over.

“There's still a lot of work left to be done for DJ,” Drinkwitz said. “A lot of prayers he still needs. It's awesome to win, but the outcome doesn't change how we feel about DJ. And if we didn't win the game, we'd still love him, and wouldn't mean we fought any less for him. You know, the outcomes are controllable, but the process that we repeat, the love that we share, the fans have been awesome. His family needed a place to stay. Somebody called from Florida State University and offered a condo to their family. I mean, it's just unbelievable what what this human, college football people can do.

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