How 2024 Mizzou football recruiting class is shaping up & who could be next to commit

Missouri football enjoyed a productive recruiting weekend that doubled its commitments in the class of 2024, and the Tigers are on the cusp of more recruiting fireworks this holiday week.

The bottom line is MU is on a recruiting roll. Eli Drinkwitz has secured five verbal commitments in four days, with the latest being four-star linebacker Nicholas Rodriguez.

It’s a far cry from where the recruiting efforts stood just a month ago, when MU had only two commitments heading into June, and three heading into this past weekend.

That recruiting profile could be even better by the end of this week, as Rodriguez’s commitment was a notable win in Columbia.

Meet 4-star LB commit Nicholas Rodriguez

Rodriguez, a Fort Lauderdale, Florida, native, committed on Monday morning. He chose Missouri over Tennessee, Ohio State and West Virginia. Rodriguez took visits to WVU, OSU and MU.

He’s rated as the 16th-best linebacker prospect in the nation according to Rivals, and the 42nd-best prospect in the state of Florida.

Rodriguez earned his rankings after a productive 2022 high school season. At St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Rodriguez recorded 93 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, five sacks, two fumble recoveries, an interception and a blocked field goal as a junior.

He brings versatility to the linebacker room as a player who can both rush the passer and defend the passing game.

Missouri’s linebacker room is set for the 2023 season. Ty’Ron Hopper and Chad Bailey return as starters, with Chuck Hicks, Dameon Wilson, Carmycah Glass and Xavier Simmons backing up Hopper and Bailey.

After that, Rodriguez becomes part of the future. Wilson, Simmons and Glass are the most experienced on the 2024 roster, but Brayshawn Littlejohn and Triston Newson will comprise the depth. Considering how Wilson made strides in 2022 when Bailey was injured, Rodriguez could make similar strides.

Updated look at Mizzou’s 2024 recruiting class ranking

After five commits in four days, Missouri’s 2024 recruiting class stands at eight commitments, featuring an even split between four offensive players and four defensive players.

The majority of players Missouri secured commitments from in the last four days were defensive players: athlete Cam Dooley, safety Jackson Hancock, defensive tackle Justin Bodford and Rodriguez. One player, receiver Jude James, was an offensive player.

That leaves MU’s 2024 class with the No. 74 overall ranking from 247Sports and the No. 71 overall spot from Rivals.

As commitments keep coming in this summer, and most likely through the fall, too, that ranking will rise.

What’s next on the recruiting trail?

MU isn’t done in the slightest. This week could frame how the 2024 class will ultimately look come signing day.

On July 4, Missouri has two players it’s heavily involved with announcing their commitments: four-star receiver James Madison and three-star cornerback Cameron Keys.

Should MU earn Madison’s pledge, he would be the highest-rated commit Drinkwitz has in the 2024 class to this point. Missouri had a commitment from in-state prospect Tionne Gray, a four-star defensive lineman, but Gray flipped from MU to Oregon in April.

Adding Madison would ensure MU’s receivers room would retain both depth and talent in the 2024 class to pair with players like Luther Burden, Theo Wease, Mekhi Miller, Joshua Manning, Daniel Blood, Marquis Johnson and Nicholas Deloach.

Madison, who is Rodriguez’s teammate at St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, is choosing between MU and Florida State.

Keys would also set the tone for the future of the defensive backs room after Missouri already earned a commitment from Dooley this past weekend.

Keys holds offers from Kentucky, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, MU and Arkansas, but he is choosing between Vanderbilt and Missouri. With the potential for Ennis Rakestraw and Kris Abrams-Draine to forgo their eligibility and choose to enter the NFL Draft after the 2023 season, Keys and Dooley make up the immediate future.

Beyond the holiday, four-star running back Johann Cardenas is also announcing his commitment on July 7. He’s choosing between Vanderbilt, Missouri and Texas Tech, according to 247Sports.

The Star has partnered with the Columbia Daily Tribune for coverage of Missouri Tigers athletics.