LOOK: Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz visits recruits in a dump truck

Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz isn’t shy about having a little fun. He wears retro Air Jordans and even trolled Florida coach Dan Mullen with a lightsaber after the Tigers beat Florida this season. And on the recruiting trail, prospects take notice.

On Friday, the first day coaches can visit high schools — but not the actual 2023 prospects themselves — Drinkwitz pulled another trick out of his bag by showing up to one in a dump truck.

It’s the first day of the recruiting contact period, and #Mizzou’s Eli Drinkwitz and Marcus Johnson just pulled up to Lee’s Summit North high school in a dump truck. LSN is the home of 2022 OL signee Armand Membou and 2023 four-star OL Cayden Green pic.twitter.com/ffncVc0Qg9

— Mitchell Forde (@Mitchell4D) January 14, 2022

The specific recruit he was trying to impress is four-star Lee’s Summit (Mo.) North offensive tackle Cayden Green. The 6-foot-6, 310-pounder is one of Missouri’s biggest priorities in the 2023 class, especially as an in-state prospect. He is also the teammate of 2022 offensive lineman Armand Membou, who signed with the Tigers in December.

Drinkwitz is far from the first coach to travel in style on the recruiting trail. A number of high-profile coaches have traveled by helicopter to see the games of big prospects, including Georgia head coach Kirby Smart. Missouri even has its own history in that regard, with former head coach Gary Pinkel arriving in the “Pinkel-Copter” to impress big targets.

Missouri off to a good start in 2023

Whether because of his theatrics or just pure recruiting ability, Drinkwitz and his staff have made huge strides in the past two classes in Columbia. The 2021 class was one of the best in program history, finishing 29th in the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings. And they stepped it up even further in 2022, landing five-star wide receiver Luther Burden in a crop that currently ranks No. 14 nationally and No. 5 in the SEC.

That momentum has carried over into 2023, where the Tigers already have a pair of in-state commits with four-star tight end Brett Norfleet and high three-star EDGE Jahkai Lang. Winning more of those battles will be key, as the Show-Me State has a loaded crop of talent in that class with 13 prospects ranked among the top 450 nationally.