St. Louis Post-Dispatch · Jul 17, 2025
'Relax': Eli Drinkwitz explains why spending strategy has led to Mizzou's recruiting lag
ATLANTA — Worried about Missouri football’s recruiting? Eli Drinkwitz wants you to relax.
Meeting with a select group of reporters before he took the stage at the Southeastern Conference’s media days on Thursday, Drinkwitz confirmed what has been a growing assumption about his approach toward high school recruiting: When it comes to allocating money on player acquisition, he’s leaning strongly toward transfers over recruits — and that’s contributing to a rather lackluster 2026 recruiting cycle.
The Tigers have 10 verbal commitments in their 2026 class, which puts them just 75th in 247Sports national rankings. That’s second to last in the SEC, and not where MU generally wants to be.