Mizzou Central

Mizzou Officially Signs No. 1 Prospect in State of Missouri for 2025

The offensive lineman from Eureka inked his NLI Wednesday.

Joey Van Zummeren

Nov 30, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; A general view of a Missouri Tigers helmet against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the first half at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images
Nov 30, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; A general view of a Missouri Tigers helmet against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the first half at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images
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The Missouri Tigers officially inked the No.1 prospect in the state of Missouri, with offensive lineman Jack Lange signing his National Letter of Intent (NLI) with the University Wednesday morning.

Lange chose his in-state University over offers from other SEC schools such as Alabama, Georgia, Florida and Arkansas. In all, Lange had 25 different offers to choose from. He announced his commitment to the Tigers on April 24, then becoming the fifth unofficial member of the Tigers' class.

The Eureka native is the No. 144 player in the entire class. He also is the No. 15 offensive tackle in the class.

During his senior season with the Eureka Wildcats, Lange was named First Team All-Conference, and the Lineman of the Year.

Lange comes in to Missouri with opportunities opening up along the offensive line, with Marcus Bryant, Drake Heismeyer and Cam'Ron Johnson all no longer having eligibility.

Lange is only the second top-ranked Missouri recruit to commit to the Tigers since head coach Eli Drinkwitz took over in the 2020 season. It is the second-straight year for Drinkwitz to do so, landing a commitment from Lee Summit native Williams Nwaneri in the Class of 2024.

Wide receiver Luther Burden III is still the highest-ranked prospect to commit to Drinkwitz, but resided on the border of Missouri, playing his final year of high school at East St. Louis. Nwaneri is the third-ranked.

Players like Lange are a significant part of an effort from Drinkwitz to "lock down the borders" of Missouri, making sure the best in-state prospects continuiusly go with the Tigers, and not their competitors.

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Joey Van Zummeren
JOEY VAN ZUMMEREN

Joey Van Zummeren is a sports journalist from Belleville, Ill. He's currently a freshman at the University of Missouri studying journalism, and joined MizzouCentral as an intern in 2023. His beats include football and basketball.

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