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Columbia Daily Tribune
These 15 Missouri football 2026 recruits will enroll early
- Story byColumbia Daily Tribune
- These 15 Missouri football 2026 recruits will enroll early
Fifteen of Mizzou's 2026 high school recruits are getting a head start.
Missouri football signed a 19-player Class of 2026 on Wednesday, Dec. 3, which marked early signing day for Division-I football recruits. That class currently checks in at No. 33 in the country and No. 13 in the SEC on 247Sports' composite recruiting leaderboard.
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One of the benefits to schools getting players to sign in the early window, instead of the increasingly irrelevant February regular signing day, is that some players are now eligible to enroll early at Mizzou.
Among MU's 19 signees, the Tigers anticipate 15 players to get to Columbia in January and participate in spring camp.
That historically has been a major boon for their potential to play in 2025.
More: Missouri football signs 19-player 2026 recruiting class. Rankings, analysis
More: Coaching carousel is off rails, and Missouri football did well to de-board
Three of the four Mizzou true freshmen, not including specialists, who burned redshirts this season were early enrollees last year: QB Matt Zollers , WR Donovan Olugbode and LB Dante McClellan.
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Here's who will enroll early with Missouri in 2026:
Gavin Sidwar, quarterback
247Sports national ranking:No. 474
Position ranking:No. 30 (QB)
Height, weight:6-3, 190
Mizzou's quarterback in the Class of 2026, like the two he is expected to join on the roster, is from Pennsylvania . The La Salle College product and Wyndmoor, Pa., native is the No. 30-ranked QB in his class was the first player to commit to the Tigers in this cycle.
La Salle's Gavin Sidwar, 7, throws a pass over Easton's Anthony Diaz, 59, during the PIAA football quarterfinals in Bethlehem on Nov. 21, 2025.
Johnnie Jones, offensive tackle
247Sports national ranking:No. 139
Position ranking:No. 13 (OT)
Height, weight:6-6, 305
Jones is Mizzou's top-ranked commitment in the Class of 2026 on 247Sports' board. The Venice, Florida, native was a UCLA commit until the Bruins fired DeShaun Foster in September. He visited Mizzou one week later and was verbally committed Oct. 11.
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Brandon Anderson, interior offensive lineman
247Sports national ranking:No. 492
Position ranking:No. 39 (IOL)
Height, weight:6-3.5, 326
Mizzou went toe-to-toe with Tennessee and North Carolina to land Anderson, a Kennesaw, Georgia, product who already has great size for his position. Georgia, Florida and Alabama all offered Anderson during his recruiting process.
Jabari Brady, wide receiver
247Sports national ranking:No. 516
Position ranking:No. 71 (WR)
Height, weight:6-1.5, 205
The Pompano Beach, Florida, native committed to the Tigers back in June, making him one of the original members of Mizzou's 2026 signing class.
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JJ Bush, linebacker
247Sports national ranking:No. 374
Position ranking:No. 25 (LB)
Height, weight:6-3, 210
Bush was committed to Arkansas until the Razorbacks fired Sam Pittman midseason. The Tigers, who were heavily involved in his original recruitment, got the Theodore, Alabama, native on board shortly after.
Khalief Canty Jr., interior offensive lineman
247Sports national ranking:No. 718
Position ranking:No. 59 (IOL)
Height, weight:6-5, 305
Canty is a three-star offensive lineman who plays at Cass Technical in Detroit. Mizzou landed his commitment over North Carolina and Michigan State back in June.
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Braylon Ellison, interior offensive lineman
247Sports national ranking:No. 768
Position ranking:No. 63 (IOL)
Height, weight:6-4, 285
Ellison is a Boonville, Missouri, product and the son of former Mizzou lineman and current staffer Atiyyah Ellison. He is the No. 10-ranked player out of Missouri in this class.
Jaxson Gates, cornerback
247Sports national ranking:No. 398
Position ranking:No. 34 (CB)
Height, weight:6-1, 170
Mizzou flipped the La Verne, California , product from BYU in late October. The Tigers have an immediate need at cornerback, as their top three contributors each are expected to run out of eligibility after the bowl game.
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Isaac Jensen, tight end
247Sports national ranking:No. 1,124
Position ranking:No. 69
Height, weight:6-6, 230
Jensen is the only tight end in this class for Mizzou. He's an Omaha native who officially visited Texas A&M and Iowa State during his recruiting process.
Maxwell Warner, running back
247Sports national ranking:No. 1,308
Position ranking:No. 85 (RB)
Height, weight:5-10, 185
Warner is the lone running back in this class. He is a Whitney Young Magnet prospect out of Chicago.
Tajh Overton, defensive lineman
247Sports national ranking:No. 305
Position ranking:No. 37 (DL)
Height, weight:6-3, 275
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Overton was an Oklahoma State commit before Mike Gundy was fired midseason. The Tigers flipped the Owasso product's commitment with a week of the coaching change.
Brody Jones, safety
247Sports national ranking:No. 899
Position ranking:No. 80
Height, weight:6-3, 175
Jones flipped from Cincinnati to Mizzou after visiting the Tigers in October. He is a Fayetteville, Arkansas, product with a 6-3 frame.
Jayden McGregory, safety
247Sports national ranking:No. 384
Position ranking:No. 21 (ATH)
Height, weight:6-2, 195
McGregory was a late-cycle flip from Louisville . He is a Des Moines, Iowa, native and is the No. 4-ranked player coming out of the state in this cycle. McGregory is listed as an athlete but is expected to play safety in college.
Valley's Jayden McGregory runs the ball during the semifinal round of the Iowa high school football state championships at the UNI-Dome on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, in Cedar Falls.
Carter Stewart, safety
247Sports national ranking:No. 2,116
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Position ranking:No. 203
Height, weight:6-1, 170
Missouri flipped Stewart from Utah in October. The safety plays for Shadow Creek High in Pearland, Texas , who also visited SMU and UNLV in his recruitment.
Demarcus Johnson, defensive end
247Sports national ranking:No. 1 (JUCO)
Position ranking:No. 1 (DL)
Height, weight:6-7, 260
Mizzou has landed the nation's No. 1-ranked junior college prospect with Johnson. The Missouri City, Texas, native will arrive at the Tigers after a couple seasons at JUCO powerhouse Hutchinson CC in Kansas .
Who will enroll in the summer?
Players who don't enroll early will arrive in June.
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Four players currently signed with Mizzou will arrive in the summer: cornerback Ahmod Billins; linebacker Keenan Harris; wide receiver Devyon Hill-Lomax and defensive lineman Brysen Wessell.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: 15 Missouri football 2026 recruits will enroll early for spring
