Head Football Coach Eliah Drinkwitz didn't have the luxury of much time to patch together his very first recruiting class at Mizzou.  After being announced as the 33rd head coach in MU football history on Dec. 10th, he had only eight days to shore up the makings of the next batch of future Tiger stars, as Dec. 18th marked the first day of the early signing period.

Fear not Tiger fans, as Drinkwitz and his coaching staff (also being assembled as we speak) did a great job of holding on to 10 highly-regarded high school student-athletes who all signed a National Letter of Intent on Wednesday to attend Mizzou and play football for the black and gold.  The new head ball coach was excited to get his first group on the books.

"I think the biggest thing is the guys that chose to stay committed, chose Mizzou for Mizzou and what it can do for them for their futures, through education, through football," said Drinkwitz.  "We were able to develop a relationship and they believe in our mission moving forward and our goals.  We're excited about the guys we were able to sign, and we know that we still have more pieces to add as we move forward," he said.

Drinkwitz said he and his staff are continuing to evaluate nonstop other potential fits for his program.

"The first thing we always look for is fit.  It's got to fit our University and our football team, which is 'focused, intangibles, talented and tough.'  That's the criteria of people we want to be part of our football program moving forward.  What we want to do now with our next 8-10 slots that we will sign, is add young, quality depth or somebody who can come in and compete immediately for a job.  That's part of evaluating our current roster, and part of evaluating what is out there to see what's the best mesh," Drinkwitz said.

The early signing period concludes Dec. 20th and is followed by the late signing period that runs from Feb. 5th to April 1st of next year.  Be sure to check back on MUTigers.com, as future additions to the 2020 recruiting class will be announced here, as well on social media channels.

Here is a thumbnail sketch of each of the newest group of future Tigers:

JAYLON CARLIES - DB - 6-2, 193, Fr., Winter Garden, Fla. (West Orange HS)

• A three-star prospect by all the major recruiting services … Set the West Orange High School single game receiving yards record as a senior … Signing with high school teammate Tyler Jones and the two verbally committed together back in October … The duo also ran on the West Orange track and field team's 4x100m relay squad … Chose Mizzou over offers from Cincinnati, Maryland, Miami (FL), Pitt, Purdue, Syracuse, Troy and UCF.

BRADY COOK - QB - 6-3, 210, Fr., St. Louis, Mo. (Chaminade HS)

• A three-star quarterback prospect by all the major recruiting services … Rivals rates him as the nation's No. 18 pro-style quarterback in the class and the state's No. 10 overall prospect at any position … Has been committed to Mizzou since September of 2018 and was one of the first commits of the class … Mizzou was the first Power 5 school to offer Cook … As a senior in 2019, he threw for 3,194 yards and 33 touchdowns while rushing for 375 yards and three scores … First Team All-MCC honoree at two positions – quarterback and punter – as a senior … Also earned MCC Offensive Player of the Year honors … As a senior, he completed 197-of-336 passes and had a passer rating of 117.46 … Named Elite Football Academy Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 11, 2019, after completing 25-of-40 passes for 342 yards and a pair of scores with 13 rushes for 127 yards … As a junior in 2018, he completed 135-of-254 passes for 1,795 yards and 14 scores …Cited the fact that he grew up watching and admiring former Mizzou quarterbacks like Chase Daniel, Blaine Gabbert, James Franklin and Drew Lock as a key reason why he decided to sign with Mizzou … He especially admires Drew Lock and says he tries to model himself after the former Tiger QB and current starter for the Denver Broncos … Also cited Mizzou's new South End Zone Facility as a key reason for his signing …  High school coach: Antoine Torrey … Chose Mizzou over interest from Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Purdue and Wisconsin.

DRAKE HEISMEYER - OL - 6-3, 283, Fr., St. Charles, Mo. (Francis Howell HS)

• A three-star offensive line prospect by all the major recruiting services … Rated as the state's No. 20 overall prospect at any position by Rivals … 2019 All-State selection by MaxPreps … Team captain as a senior … Started at left tackle for the Vikings and is versatile and athletic enough to play any position along the line … Helped guide Francis Howell to a 10-2 record as a senior, averaging 35.3 points per game and 332 yards per game on offense, including a potent ground game that racked up 205 yards per contest … The 10 wins for Francis Howell were the most for the Vikings since 2015 …  Played along the defensive line as a standout two-way player as a senior, posting a team-high seven sacks with 30 tackles, nine of which went for a loss… Francis Howell advanced to the Class 6 District 1 Championship game … Also competed in track and field at Francis Howell, throwing the shot put, discus and javelin … Was the second commit in Mizzou's 2020 signing class … High school coach: Brent Chojnacki … Chose Mizzou over offers from Iowa State, Kansas State, Michigan State, Central Michigan, Indiana and Purdue.

JAVIAN HESTER - WR - 6-3, 190, Fr., Tulsa, Okla. (Booker T. Washington HS)

• A four-star wideout prospect by both ESPN and 247Sports.com … Member of the prestigious ESPN 300, ranking as the No. 218 prospect nationally at any position … Is the nation's No. 36 wideout according to ESPN and the No. 3 prospect out of Oklahoma at any position … Rivals has him as a three-star prospect and the No. 5 player in Oklahoma … Played on the defensive side as well, starting at strong safety … Received an invite to play for the US National Football Team in the 2020 International Bowl … According to MaxPreps, he caught 69 passes for 1,404 yards and 13 touchdowns in 29 varsity games during his high school career … Tallied six career interceptions as a safety as well, returning those for 128 yards, proving his great ball skills … Averaged a touchdown every 5.3 catches during his high school career … Averaged an amazing 20.3 yards per catch in his career, including an incredible 28.5 yards per catch as a senior … Also competed in track & field during high school, both as a sprinter and a long jumper … Full name is Javian … High school coach: Brad Calip … Chose Mizzou over offers from UCLA, Arkansas, Baylor, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Texas.

TYLER JONES - DB - 5-10, 185, Fr., Winter Garden, Fla. (West Orange HS)

• A three-star defensive back prospect by all the major recruiting services … Played at both strong and free safety in high school … Also ran track as a sprinter at West Orange and was a 4x100m relay team member with fellow signee Jaylon Carlies … Full name is David Tyler Jones … His signing to play at Mizzou is a fulfilling of a promise he made to his mother, Sara, who passed away from a battle with cancer on Jan. 6, 2019 … Chose Mizzou over offers from Wake Forest, Cincinnati, Colorado State, Duke, Louisville, Minnesota, NC State, Purdue, Rutgers, Syracuse, Vanderbilt Indiana, Toledo and Troy.

JAY MACLIN - WR - 5-11, 178, Fr., Kirkwood, Mo. (Kirkwood HS)

• A three-star wideout prospect by all the major recruiting services … Rivals rates him as the state's No. 12 overall prospect at any position … 247Sports rated him as the state's No. 10 prospect at any position … Is the cousin of former Mizzou All-American and eight-year NFL veteran Jeremy Maclin, who posted 6,835 receiving yards, 49 touchdowns, two 1,000-yard seasons and a Pro Bowl nod in 2014 at the game's highest level … Posted 37 catches for 677 yards and eight touchdowns as a senior, averaging 18.3 yards per catch, and was hurt for much of the year, limiting his production … Caught 45 passes for 762 yards and nine scores as a junior … As a sophomore, he hauled in 27 catches for 509 yards and five scores …  During his freshman season, he posted four catches for 81 yards … He finished his high school career with 113 catches for 2,029 yards and 22 touchdowns … Former high school teammates with current Mizzou WR Maurice Massey … Played for high school coach Todd Stevener … Full name is Jairus … Chose Mizzou over offers from Arizona State, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Kentucky, New Mexico and Western Michigan.

HARRISON MEVIS - K - 6-0, 200, Fr., Warsaw, Ind. (Warsaw Community HS)

• A three-star kicking prospect by all the major recruiting services … Five-star kicking prospect and the nation's No. 2 kicker and No. 10 punter according to Kohl's … Under Armour All-American … Won the Kohl's kicking competition in Chicago with a 65-yard boot …  ESPN ranked him as the No. 2 kicker in this year's signing class and the No. 5 prospect at any position out of Indiana … 247Sports rated him as the nation's No. 8 kicker … Helped Warsaw HS rank in the top 10 in Indiana for the first time since 2001 during his senior season in 2019 … Named Burger King Outstanding Athlete in Warsaw in September, 2019 … Tied a school-record with a 51-yard game-winning FG against Michigan City, matching his older brother's school record …  Also starred as a goalie on the soccer pitch … All-Conference selection in both football and soccer … All-State football honoree … Named school's scholar athlete award winner … High school coach: Bart Curtis … Brother, Andrew, is a kicker/punter for Fordham … Chose Mizzou over offers from Washington State and Army.  

WILL NORRIS - LB - 6-1, 220, Fr., Columbia, Mo. (Rock Bridge HS)

• A three-star linebacker prospect by all the major recruiting services … Rivals rates him as the state's No. 18 prospect at any position … Class 6 All-District Media First Team selection at linebacker as a senior … As a junior in 2018, he posted 101 tackles, six sacks and 14 tackles for loss, leading Rock Bridge to a District Final … He also tallied a fumble recovery and a safety … Kicked field goals for Rock Bridge … Rock Bridge was 22-12 during his three-year tenure with the varsity squad … Team went 10-3 his sophomore season … Team captain as a senior … High school coach: Van Vanatta … Cited Columbia being his home and the chance to stay close to his friends and family as key reasons for choosing Mizzou … Chose Mizzou over offers from Air Force, Army, Ball State, Dartmouth, Kansas, Missouri State and Yale.

MITCHELL WALTERS - OL - 6-8, 290, Fr., St. Louis, Mo. (Mehlville HS)

• A three-star offensive line prospect by all the major recruiting services … Is the state's No. 11 prospect at any position and the nation's No. 53 offensive tackle, according to Rivals … 2019 Max Preps All-State honoree … 2019 All Suburban West Conference National Division Lineman of the Year … Paved the way for a Mehlville rushing attack that averaged 236 yards per game on the ground during his senior season … Played along the defensive line as well, posting 45 tackles (30 solo) with three sacks …  No. 20 on the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Super 30, which ranked the top players in the metro area … Played for high school coach Kent Heinmann … Originally committed to Mizzou in May, 2019 … Chose Mizzou over offers from Arizona, Ball State, Baylor, Eastern Illinois, Indiana, Iowa State, Kentucky, Minnesota, Purdue and TCU, among others.

ELIJAH YOUNG - RB - 5-9, 175, Fr., Knoxville, Tenn. (South Doyle HS)

• A three-star running back prospect by all the major recruiting services who shined as an all-purpose back at South Doyle High School … Class 5A Tennessee Mr. Football as a senior … Tennessee Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior … Posted 2,481 all-purpose yards and 43 touchdowns as a senior … Oh his 2,481 all-purpose yards, 2,170 came on the ground with 39 of his 43 touchdowns being of the rushing variety … Amassed his 2,170 rushing yards on 245 carries, averaging almost nine yards per carry … Also caught 15 passes for 169 yards and averaged 28 yards per kick return …  Led South Doyle to a 9-4 record and a Class 5A quarterfinal appearance … He is a two time All-Region 2-5A selection … Four-year starter at running back and defensive back while shining in the return game as well …  Member of the National Honor Society … High school coach: Clark Duncan … Chose Mizzou over offers from Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee and Tulane.