Where Missouri football sits in recruiting ahead of early signing day
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Missouri football’s next class is about to become official.
Missouri football is expected to officially sign 21 members to its Class of 2026 on Wednesday, Dec. 3, which marks early signing day for Division-I college football recruits.
The CFB transfer portal will not open until Jan. 2.
Eli Drinkwitz, who recently signed a contract extension through the 2031 season, will meet with local media at noon Wednesday to discuss his latest class.
Here’s where Missouri currently ranks in the national recruiting standings, and who the Tigers are looking to sign Wednesday.
Missouri football recruiting rankings
Missouri football’s 21-player class is ranked as a top-25 group by both major recruiting services:
247Sports: No. 25 in the nation, No. 11 in the SEC.
Rivals: No. 24 in the nation, No. 11 in the SEC
The Tigers have had a top-25-ranked class in each of the past three of the past four cycles. If they can stay in that tier Wednesday, then that will mark four top-25 classes since 2022.
Beyond the rankings, Missouri appears to have done a good job targeting positions of need. A quick peek at next year’s roster shows needs at cornerback, safety, offensive tackle and along the defensive line.
Mizzou’s top-four ranked recruits each hit on one of those positions.
It’s also worth noting that more than half of the players verbally committed hopped on board in the past three months, many of whom flipping from other Power-conference programs. That has helped MU climb 50 spots in the national recruiting rankings in the space of three months.
Missouri football recruiting class 2026
Here’s who is verbally committed to the Tigers in the Class of 2026:
Johnnie Jones (OT, 4-star); Tajh Overton (DL, 4-star); Jaxson Gates (CB, 4-star); JJ Bush (LB, 4-star); Micah Nickerson (DE, 4-star JUCO); Jayden McGregory (S, 4-star); DeMarcus Johnson (DL, 3-star JUCO); Gavin Sidwar (QB, 3-star); Brandon Anderson (OL, 3-star); Jabari Brady (WR 3-star); Keenan Harris (LB, 3-star); Brysen Wessel (OL, 3-star); Khalief Canty (OL, 3-star); Braylon Ellison (OL, 3-star); Brody Jones (S, 3-star); Tony Forney (S, 3-star); Devyon Hill-Lomaz (WR, 3-star); Ahmod Billins (CB, 3-star); Isaac Jensen (TE, 3-star); Maxwell Warner (RB, 3-star); Carter Stewart (S, 3-star).
Mizzou is likely close to finished in this recruiting cycle in terms of new commitments, but the Tigers have staged several late-cycle flips in recent years.
Missouri football recruiting targets
Mizzou’s primary goal will be to keep its current commits on board.
Mississippi State has shown some late interest in flipping Magnolia State native and JUCO product Micah Nickerson, per multiple reports. Jasxon Gates, a four-star corner from California, has had consistent interest from plenty of teams out west since flipping to Mizzou from BYU.
On the other side of flip attempts, the Tigers extended a late offer to Wake Forest defensive end commit Sefa Sackey, per his X/Twitter account. That’s something to monitor.
When is early signing day?
Early signing day is Wednesday, Dec. 3. The Tigers likely will sign a bulk, if not all, of their next recruiting class on Wednesday, with signings likely to start rolling in early in the morning.
When is late signing day?
Signing day, now a far-less prominent day on the Division-I college football recruiting calendar, is Feb. 4, 2026.
Any player a team does not lock up Dec. 3 could still sign in February, but they will not have the opportunity to enroll early and arrive on campus for offseason training and spring camp.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Missouri football recruiting rankings, latest info on 2026 class
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