COLUMBIA, Mo. — If recruiting is the lifeblood of college athletics, then Missouri football got a jolt of energy on Wednesday.
Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz called it the best recruiting class ever for the Tigers.
Sure enough, Mizzou's current class is ranked No. 11 by ESPN, No. 14 by 247 Sports and No. 17 by Rivals, the highest in program history.
It was a mix of potential and experience for Mizzou. Of the Tigers' 28 signees, 17 are from high school and 11 come from the transfer portal.
"We really wanted to add both a good foundational base of high school players to come in and develop and grow and become great players for us," Drinkwitz said. "But also make sure our roster wasn't heavy on one side or the other."
"We didn't want to be too young and we don't want to be too old," he continued.
The transfers come in from the likes of Clemson, North Carolina, Florida, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and Stanford.
"In a pre-transfer portal world, we would have only added high school players and you're talking about with transfers, your team's going to be really young," Drinkwitz said. "But now with the portal, used correctly and vetted right, you're able to add to your roster."
Missouri landed 10 from the state of Missouri and four from the Kansas City area: defensive tackle Jalen Marshall from St. Thomas Aquinas, offensive lineman Armand Membou from Lee's Summit North, wide receiver Mekhi Miller from Blue Valley North and tight end Max Whisner from Lee's Summit.
Missouri's entire 2022 recruiting class is below:
| Name | Position | Hometown | School |
| Luther Burden | WR | St. Louis | East St. Louis High School |
| Joseph Charleston | DB | Milton, Georgia | Clemson (transfer) |
| Valen Erickson | OL | Chicago, Illinois | St. Rita High School |
| Carmycah Glass | LB | Monroe, Louisiana | Ouachita Parish High School |
| Marquis Gracial | DL | St. Charles, Missouri | St. Charles High School |
| Ty’Ron Hopper | LB | Shelby, North Carolina | Florida (transfer) |
| Tyrone Hopper | DL | Roswell, Georgia | University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill (transfer) |
| Sam Horn | QB | Suwanee, Georgia | Collins Hill |
| Jayden Jernigan | DL | Allen, Texas | Oklahoma State (transfer) |
| Tavorus Jones | RB | El Paso, Texas | Burges High School |
| Ian Mathews | DL | Columbus, Georgia | Auburn (transfer) |
| Jalen Marshall | DL | Overland Park, Kansas | St. Thomas Aquinas |
| Armand Membou | OL | Lee's Summit, Missouri | Lee's Summit North High School |
| Mekhi Miller | WR | Overland Park, Kansas | Blue Valley North High School |
| Dreyden Norwood | DB | Forth Smith, Arkansas | Texas A&M (transfer) |
| Curtis Peagler | OL | Demopolis, Alabama | Demopolis High School |
| Nathaniel Peat | RB | Columbia, Missouri | Stanford University (transfer) |
| Bence Polgar | OL | Wayne, New Jersey | University of Buffalo (transfer) |
| Cody Schrader | RB | St. Louis, Missouri | Truman State University (transfer) |
| Marcus Scott II | DB | Conroe, Texas | Conroe High School |
| Xavier Simmons | LB | Greensboro, North Carolina | Northwest Guilford High School |
| Dylan Spencer | OL | Jackson, Mississippi | Jackson State University (transfer) |
| Tyler Stephens | TE | Braceville, Ohio | University of Buffalo (transfer) |
| Isaac Thompson | DB | St. Louis, Missouri | St. Louis University |
| Ja’Marion Wayne | WR | Ballwin, Missouri | Parkway West High School |
| DJ Wesolak | DL | Boonville, Missouri | Boonville High School |
| Max Whisner | TE | Kansas City, Missouri | Lee's Summit High School |
| Tristan Wilson | OL | Lebanon, Missouri | Lebanon High School |
The Tigers kick off the 2022 season on Sept 3. at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium in Columbia against Louisiana Tech University.
