Mizzou football brings former staffer back to manage recruiting and player evaluation
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A familiar face is returning to Mizzou football coach Eli Drinkwitz's staff.
On Thursday, Tiger Athletics announced that former MU staffer Jake Breske will return to Columbia to serve as the program's President of Player Personnel and Recruiting.
In his new role, Breske will manage the football team's overall recruiting strategy, in tandem with Coach Drinkwitz, while also 'identifying, evaluating and prioritizing' prospective recruits from both high school and the transfer portal. The North Dakota native will also be in charge of putting together both official and unofficial visits, recruiting events and collaborating with hte team on messaging and branding.
Prior to his return to Columbia, Breske has spent the last six seasons at Tennessee, where he was head coach Josh Heupel's Director of Player Personnel. While he was in Rocky Top, the Volunteers secured six Top-15 recruiting classes.
“We are thrilled to bring Jake Breske back to our staff,” Drinkwitz said in a press release. “Jake spent six years at Mizzou before his time at Tennessee and returns to lead our player personnel and recruiting departments. Jake has extensive experience in this role and a reputation for running an organized recruiting operation and being an elite talent evaluator. He has a background in coaching at both the college and high school level. Jake is a great fit for this role, and we are excited to welcome him back to Columbia.”
Breske first came to Mizzou prior to the 2016 campaign, when he served as a recruiting assistant for a couple of seasons. He later up to the program's Director of Recruiting, a position which he held from 2018-21. The 2021 recruiting class that he helped assemble was the program's then-highest finish in its history, coming in at No. 21 in the nation, according to Rivals.
“I am thrilled to return to Mizzou and help Coach Drinkwitz continue to construct a championship-caliber program,” Breske said in a press release. “The momentum the Tigers have built over the past six years is truly remarkable. I am excited and humbled to have the opportunity to come back and help build on that success.”
Prior to his time in Columbia, Breske spent time at Valley City State University in North Dakota, where he held a multitude of roles, including working with quarterbacks and filling into offensive coordinator duties. Before that, he also held an assistant coaching role for his alma mater in South Dakota.
