Four-Day Recruiting Stretch Sets up Tigers for Elite 2025 Class

The Tigers busiest recruiting weekend of the year is now over. Heres a peak into how the last four days could impact Missouri Football.

Missouri football coach Eli Drinkwitz answers questions during a postgame interview after a college football game at Memorial Stadium on Nov. 18, 2023, in Columbia, Mo. / © Abigail Landwehr/Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK

It has been a momentum shifting last four days for Eli Drinkwitz and the Missouri Tigers on the recruiting trail. Each of those days a recruit has signed on to play for Drinkwitz and the Tigers, each an impactful player that will bring a valuable skillset to the table for the class of 2025. Now that the storm has weathered, lets glance at the impact these last four days have made on the future of Tiger football.

The most notable commonality between the four players Drinkwitz has landed in the past four days, besides their talent level, is that not one of them comes from the state of Missouri. In fact, outside of 3-star Keiton Jones, none of them are particularly close.

To improve their receiving class, they dipped into the state of Florida, a region known for its consistent blue-chip talent. There they secured the pledges of 4-stars Jayvan Boggs and Donovan Olugbode. Olugbode is the 11th best player in the state fourth best receiver. Boggs' ranking varies by site, ranked as high as 67 nationally by Rivals.

4-star OL Lamont Rogers came from Mesquite, Tex. That's not too far away from home turf, but that is usually ground thats covered by Oklahoma, Texas and other Big 12 and midwest schools. That was arguably Drinkwitz' most impressive win of the recruiting season so far, beating out those two and more for the coveted offensive lineman. It was yet another situation where Drinkwitz beat out some of the best recruiters in the country. It's starting to become a trend.

Missouri dominated the last four days nailing down some out-of-state recruits, but the staff has also done a great job of keeping the close players closer. Two of the top three players are heading to Missouri and they were in the mix for 4-stars Isaiah Mozee, Jamarion Parker and Corey Simms, all who headed elsewhere. The in-state recruiting wins have significantly improved since the arrival of Drinkwitz.

Lets take a glance at the numbers. Missouri has skyrocketed up national team recruiting rankings, all the way up to 13 after the commitment of Jones. Missouri now has eight 4-star commitments and eight 3-star commitments. The last two years, they had a 5-star sign along. Not to say its impossible, but to keep their streak alive, someone will more than likely have to rise up.

How about a little look down memory lane. In 2019, the last year before Drinkwitz came along, Missouri finished with the 13th overall recruting class in the SEC and 38th nationally. Not bad. Since then, there's only been two classes outside of the top-30. Missouri now sits at their highest in the Drinkwitz-era at 13 in the country.

Drinkwitz has brought Missouri to a place that many thought they could never be at when it came to landing recruits. Each recruiting win seems to get more and more impressive. The Tigers have landed two 5-star recruits in the last three years, both from the state of Missouri.

Long story short, with the latest four additions of Boggs, Olugbode, Rogers and Jones, Missouri's class for 2025 now positions itself to be one of the best, if not the best, of all time for Missouri recruiting. What's even more impressive? They may not be done just yet.

A couple names come to mind when it comes to whats next. 4-star DB Charles Bass commits on Wednesday, June 10 and Missouri appears to be in the drivers seat. 4-star DL Iose Epenesa, 4-star OT Andrew Babalola and 5-star OT Michael Fasusi are the big-three of targets remaining for Missouri. If they could land even one of those three, it would be a massive win.

The fact that Drinkwitz and his staff now have the Tigers in the mix for multiple guys like Fasusi, Babalola and Epenesa should come to show where they have gotten Missouri as recruiters. Those are players that the Tigers may not have been able to go after just a couple of years ago and now they are all very real possibilities.

Some of the most exciting moments so far of Drinkwitz' tenure at Missouri have come from momentum-shifting wins on the recruiting trail. That will not change as long as he is here. Drinkwitz and his coaching staff are bringing Missouri to places they may have never been before. This next season will be a testament to that, and potentially the one after as well.

Read more Missouri Tigers news:

3-Star Offensive Line Target Keiton Jones Chooses Missouri

Missouri Keeps the Recruiting Ball Rolling With 4-Star OT Lamont Rogers

4-Star WR Donovan Olugbode Chooses Missouri over Florida, Washington and Others