For two straight seasons, the Missouri Tigers secured itself a top-25 recruiting class in the country. That goal is no different for the class of 2026, where head coach Eli Drinkwitz hopes to make a splash by landing some big names.

Like it has been for the last few years, the in-state talent in Missouri is impressive and Drinkwitz clearly is aiming to make an effort to keep them home. That’s evident in the clear pursuit of local talents like Jackson Cantwell and Keenan Harris.

Outside of Missouri, the Tigers have allocated recruiting resources in the state of Arkansas. The Tigers’ only commitment in the 2026 class, four-star defensive lineman Anthony Kennedy, is an Arkansas native, as are others Missouri is pursuing. In fact, Missouri is involved with all of the top five recruits in the state.

That being said, here are ten recruiting targets Missouri may want to focus on for the month of February:

Not much needs to be said about Cantwell. He’s the consensus top-ranked player in the country, a University of Missouri legacy student and an overall freak athlete. It’s safe to say every team in his final list of schools has him at the top of its list.

Included in that list of schools were Georgia, Michigan, Miami, Ohio State and Oregon. Though there is no apparent favorite as of now, Oregon, Georgia and Miami appear to be the schools to beat.

Despite having a great recruiting pitch to keep Cantwell in his home state, landing Cantwell was always going to be an uphill climb for Missouri. According to an On3 article dating back to Feb. 11, the Oregon Ducks look to have an edge in his recruitment. Things can change and money can be thrown around, but it sounds as if Missouri has some room to make up.

Like many prospects in the 2026 class, a commitment from Cantwell can be expected before his season with Nixa starts. Official visits will take place between now and then.

The Saint Louis native recently announced his final list of eight schools, which included the Tigers. That list also featured Kansas State, Illinois, Iowa, Oklahoma, Oregon, Minnesota and Nebraska. There does not appear to be any sort of leader at the moment.

Harris ranks as the No. 327 player in the country, the No. 24 safety and the fifth-best player in Missouri. That, again, is the exact reason the Tigers appear to be pursuing Harris. Keeping in-state talent home has been a point of emphasis for Drinkwitz and it looks like that’s the same for Harris.

Harris plays for St. Louis University High School and has slowly emerged as one of the best high-flying defensive backs in the country. He also has the positional versatility to play linebacker, a skillset that the Tigers like the option to have. Harris would fit well into Missouri’s defensive scheme, a potential plus when it comes to winning his recruitment.

Moving out of Missouri, the four-star defensive tackle has considered Missouri in his recruitment for nearly three months now, featured in his final list of schools as well. The highest current rated prospect in the state of Arkansas, he’s also the No. 119 player in the country.

As of now, the Tigers are in the lead for Beale, according to On3 recruiting predictions. Other teams in the running include Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Georgia, Oregon, Mississippi State, Arkansas and USC. All of those schools were included in his final eight.

Beale is a massive tackle prospect with projectable athletic traits. Standing at 6-foot-4, 315-pounds, the best active recruit in the state of Arkansas has all the basic tools to be a great player. Pairing him up with Kennedy, Missouri’s only commit so far, would make for a scary duo inside for the Tigers.

Hodges appears to be the running back prospect with the highest chances of heading to Columbia. The No. 240 player in the country and second-best player in the state of Arkansas included the Tigers in his final eight schools on Dec. 14, also featuring Arkansas, Florida, Baylor, Louisville, Ole Miss, Oregon and USC.

The Marked Tree native is also a productive track and field athlete, which is part of what makes him such an intriguing prospect for the Tigers. He has a 10.91 100-meter dash personal best, along with a 22.57 200-meter dash time.

According to On3 predictions, Missouri holds the lead for Hodges. He has not announced a commitment timeline, but it should be assumed that after official visits take place, a decision will come along with it.

Johnson is an extremely athletic pass rusher from the state of Missouri. Ranked as the No. 274 player in the country and No. 4 in the state, Johnson caught the eyes of many neighboring teams throughout his recruitment process so far.

The in-state talent also holds offers from Oregon, Oklahoma, Indiana, Iowa and Kansas State. On3 predictions list the Wildcats as the current team to beat for Johnson, despite no real information on a current leader. He did recently take an official visit to Kansas State.

Johnson fits the mold for a modern NFL defensive lineman. He’s on the smaller end, listed at 6-foot-4. 245-pounds, but has athleticism that seems surreal for his size. With Missouri’s developing track record for pushing defensive end talent to the NFL, the Tigers might end up being the desired location for one of the country’s best edge rushers.

Davis is the first recruit on the list where the Tigers’ odds of landing him appear to be a little rocky. He has the attention of many top programs throughout the country, including Alabama, Texas, Michigan, Miami and others. Right now, Drinkwitz and the Tigers landing Davis would appear to be a monumental recruiting win.

Davis is the No. 104 player in the country and is the second-best player in Missouri behind Cantwell. There are no doubts that he is one of the nation’s best pass rushers, an idea that is reflected in his recruiting rankings.

Right now, On3 predictions list Nebraska, Wisconsin and Penn State as the favorites in his recruitment. Given some of his recent offers listed above, that should change very soon. It should also be apparent in the near future where the Tigers stand in his recruiting process, assuming a list of final schools is on the way soon.

Goodwin is one of the few players to have recent developments revolving around Missouri. He is expected to officially visit Missouri from June 6-8. Goodwin is ranked No. 339 nationally and third in Arkansas.

Goodwin also plans to officially visit Mississippi State on June 20-22 and Notre Dame on June 12-15. Goodwin has been to Columbia three times on visits, not including his upcoming official one.

Adding talented, athletic offensive line recruits never hurts for a recruiting class. The Tigers have taken two to three in recent recruiting classes and regardless of what Cantwell decides to do, Goodwin looks to be an option Missouri is interested in.

Bush is the first and only three-star prospect to appear on this list, but for good reason. He’s a lanky linebacker prospect with the speed to drop back and play safety. More importantly, he told On3 that Missouri is one of the schools at the top of his list.

The No. 497 prospect in the country and No. 21 player in Alabama is beginning to garner more national recruiting interest. The two other schools at the top of the leaderboard for Bush are Miami and Mississippi State. Despite holding a long list of offers, those are the three that stand out so far.

Greer is another one of those guys who is looking like he won’t end up as a Tiger. If he does and Missouri lands all three of the listed offensive linemen, it would be a dream offensive line class.

The Akron native is the No. 201 player in the country and No. 17 of all tackles. The ninth-best player in the state of Ohio has offers from most big programs, including Florida, Miami, Michigan and others. According to 247Sports, the Tigers and Ohio State are the two squads in the lead for Greer. On3 also lists the Buckeyes as the leader

The Tigers are a team that utilizes its tight ends in its offense frequently, making tight end target Camden Jensen even more important. With the potential for starting tight end Brett Norfleet to be gone by the time Jensen would hypothetically be on campus, another young talent for the position.

Jensen is the No. 314 player in the country and the No. 16 tight end. He recently released a list of seven schools for his finalists, including Florida, Nebraska, Texas A&M, North Carolina, UCLA and Washington, as well as Missouri.

Landing Jensen isn’t a necessity for Missouri and the Tigers have done a lot with not highly-ranked tight end recruits. That being said, the opportunity to work with one as good as Jensen could end up with a positive result.

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