Eight to one.
That's the current ratio of offensive players to defensive players in Missouri football's 2026 recruiting class .
The current makeup of MU's next high school class, which is currently lagging somewhat behind at No. 76 in 247Sports' composite national team rankings and No. 15 in the SEC, is made up of one quarterback , two wide receivers , a running back , three offensive linemen , a tight end, and …
… Keenan Harris , a four-star linebacker/safety out of St. Louis University High who is holding down the fort for defensive commits, verbally committed to come to Columbia.
The Tigers missed out on three-star linebacker JJ Bush on Wednesday, as the Theodore, Alabama, product opted to commit to Arkansas over Missouri and LSU. Two players, defensive lineman Anthony Kennedy Jr. and safety D'Montae Tims, previously were verbally committed to MU but have since backed off of their pledge.
For the time being, that means Mizzou's defensive class remains singular.
Best indicators suggest that it will soon change — perhaps starting as soon as Independence Day.
Here's who Missouri will be targeting in the 2026 class, with decision dates and times to know:
247Sports composite ranking:No. 746
Position ranking (S):No. 66
Forney, a 5-foot-11, 185-pound safety out of Marietta, Georgia, will choose between Mizzou, Wisconsin, Georgia, Auburn and Pittsburgh on the Fourth. He has set a commitment time for 3:30 p.m. CDT.
The safety received a forecast from Rivals' national recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman to commit to Georgia back in February. That was quite a while ago, and Mizzou does appear to be in a good position heading into decision day.
247Sports composite ranking:No. 439
Position ranking (DT):No. 50
Mizzou is in atypical recruiting waters here, as Harris comes from Chandler, Arizona. The Tigers are dueling with California and in-state Arizona for the three-star DT's commitment.
MU was somewhat late to offer Harris, with his official offer coming in mid-May. Landing the 6-3, 290 tackle would be a significant win for the Tigers in mostly unfamiliar territory.
Missouri got Harris' final visit in mid-June, but there were no official predictions for where he will land as of Thursday. He will announce his decision at 4:30 p.m. CDT Saturday.
247Sports composite ranking:No. 400
Position ranking (ATH):No. 24
McGregory is listed as an athlete but is expected to play as a safety at the college level. He will choose between the Tigers, Louisville and Minnesota, and the West Des Moines, Iowa, product has received a crystal ball prediction from 247Sports to land with MU. He did, however, seem to dispute that on his X account.
He is a four-star prospect, listed at 6-2, 195, and took his final visit to Louisville after visiting MU's campus.
Three separate analysts with Rivals and one with 247Sports have logged a prediction for McGregory to land at Mizzou.
247Sports composite ranking:No. 508
Position ranking (LB):No. 35
The three-star prospect out of Rogers, Arkansas, recently announced a top-four of Mizzou, Miami, Oklahoma and Arkansas. But, a pair of Rivals publishers recently predicted he will land at BYU.
He will announce his commitment at 5:30 p.m. on Monday. At 6-2, 225 pounds, Lindsey has good size entering his senior year of high school, and his list of offers would make this a promising grab for Drinkwitz and company.
247Sports composite ranking:No. 300
Position ranking (LB):No. 20
This is perhaps the least likely player to pick Mizzou on this list. It's an all-SEC race, with Auburn and Kentucky also vying for Balogoun-Ali's commitment. Auburn is viewed as the favorite to land the Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, prospect's pledge.
He recently changed his commitment date from Saturday to Tuesday.
247Sports composite ranking:No. 1,017
Position ranking (CB):No. 84
The former Syracuse commit received a late offer in June from Missouri, and now has the Tigers among his top-four schools, with BYU, Utah and Michigan State rounding out that group.
The three-star corner out of La Verne, California, received a pair of predictions to land at BYU, but Mizzou certainly seems to at least be in the mix. Gates never visited MU, but the lure of SEC football could be the difference-maker.
247Sports composite ranking:No. 630
Position ranking (S):No. 49
More: 5 Missouri football players who are All-SEC candidates on offense in 2025 season
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Combay is a teammate with Forney, listed above, at Kell High in Georgia.
Tennessee, South Carolina, and Wisconsin appear to be the main competitors for the three-star prospect, who is listed at 6-1, 190.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Missouri football's targets in 2026 recruiting class
