Tigers Football pick up a pair of 2026 defensive backs

Even with a fairly succesful season hitting the halfway point this month, head coach Eliah Drinkwitz has made it clear that his foot is on the gas in terms of recruiting for future seasons.

So far this season, he's brought in numerous prospects for the weekend, to enjoy the city, watch a Tiger football game, and decide if this is the place for them. Even with a loss to SEC Conference foe Alabama this weekend, that result remained true.

Their 18 "hard commits" ranks Mizzou's Class of 2026 No. 31 in the country. The most recent two come in the forms of three-star safteys.

The first one that decided to bring his talents to Columbia is Carter Stewart. The three-star flipped his commitment from Utah to Missouri.

The Texas native made his intentions clear - he's got (as he put it) "something to prove." This popular motto also applies to the entirety of Mizzou's roster, as they try to put the pieces together to make a serious run this December.

Stewart, who originally pledged to the Utes in June, hadn't been to Columbia prior to this past weekend, as he watched the team lose to the Crimson Tide.

The fact that the team got him to flip after a loss like that is impressive in itself.

The 6-foot-1 hard hitter had 17 total offers, including Arizona State and SMU.

But that wasn't all Drinkwitz had in store for the day.

Brody Jones, another three-star safety who had a previous commitment, also flipped to the Tigers on Monday as well.

The Arkansas native had committed to Cincinnati following a visit in June, but also had offers from Wisconsin and Houston.

Jones added the offer to Mizzou prior to the visit, though the interest never seemed mutual. He too was in town for the first time for the Tigers SEC clash on Saturday morning, and quickly followed it up with his decision.

The 6-foot-3 athletic freak, who totaled 13 offers, becomes the third safety in the Tigers's Class of 2026, joining Stewart and Tony Forney, who committed in early July.

Jones has experience playing at cornerback as well, but is likely to see the majority of his snaps at safety.

It's nice to see the recruitment work hard on positions of need, rather than simply whoever they can get their hands on. With how bad the secondary has been struggling this season, these three pieces, as well as more soon to come, are sure to make a difference in no time.

This class keeps getting better and better, and Drinkwitz is sure to continue on adding to it, as the season continues, and onward.