Missouri football offensive lineman in need of heart transplant
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Missouri football offensive lineman in need of heart transplant originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Missouri Tigers football true freshman offensive tackle, Johnnie Jones, needs a heart transplant and is hospitalized in Florida. Head coach Eli Drinkwitz announced the news Tuesday.
According to Drinkwitz, the medical staff found the issue over the summer during freshman testing. Jones was observed closely for two weeks before being sent to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida.
After further testing, Mayo Clinic doctors uncovered a more serious issue than previously anticipated. Last week, Jones was placed on the heart transplant list.
“We sent him to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, and discovered a much more significant issue,” Drinkwitz said with strong emotion. “And then last week we found out that Johnnie's now on a heart transplant list, and he’s in Mayo, and it's tough right now, and our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family as they go through this.”
Per ESPN, Jones was a top offensive line prospect as a senior out of Venice High School in Florida in 2025. He turned down offers from Colorado, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, Florida State, and UCLA to join the Tigers.
Missouri is coming off a major upset after dismantling Florida 45-17 on Saturday.
Drinkwitz recognized Jones after a monumental upset for the Tigers, “I want to give a shoutout to Johnnie Jones. “DJ, we love you, man. We’re praying for you. We’ll see you.”
“I know Johnnie was watching our game," Drinkwitz said. "It's just hard, an 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.”
Jones was a four-star prospect in the 2026 recruiting class and was No. 161 in the nation and No. 16 offensive tackle, per 247Sports' Composite rankings.
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