Eli Drinkwitz grabs a pair of standout freshmen out of transfer portal
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Over the course of just two days, Mizzou football coach Eli Drinkwitz has made six transfer portal acquisitions, with the latest coming in the form of a pair of standout freshmen.
On Tuesday night, former Notre Dame safety JaDon Blair and Houston Christian running back Xai'Shaun Edwards pledged to the Tigers. The duo makes for three additions from the portal for Coach Drink on Tuesday, alone.
Blair will come to Columbia with four years of eligibility left, after getting into just one game for the Fighting Irish as a true freshman. In that one outing, he recorded an assisted tackle. He will take that experience and joins Coach Drinkwitz's squad in an effort to compete for snaps.
The North Carolina native came out of high school as a four-star prospect and was regarded as the No. 12 safety in the nation by 247Sports, as he chose Notre Dame over offers from South Carolina, Michigan and others.
The 6-foot-5, 206-pound freshman's commitment comes at a critical time for Coach Drinkwitz, who is in the midst of a rebuild of his secondary. Depth at safety was needed and Blair will provide it.
Meanwhile, Edwards will be joining a stacked running back room for the 2026 campaign.
The former Houston Christian star had a phenomenal freshman season for the Huskies, running for 1,019 yards and 12 touchdowns. His debut campaign was enough to earn him First Team FCS Freshman All-American honors.
Despite returning his one-two punch in the backfield with running backs Ahmad Hardy and Jamal Roberts, Drinkwitz still needed to fill out his depth chart. Over the course of the offseason, running backs Marquis Davis, Brendon Haygood and Tavorus Jones have all hit the portal. Edwards is the first addition to that room, since those departures.
In total, Mizzou now has six additions from the transfer portal. You can find a full list of those additions below.
- Cornerback Jahlil Florence
- Wide receiver Caleb Goodie
- Linebacker Robert Woodyard Jr.
- Quarterback Austin Simmons
- Safety JaDon Blair
- Running back Xai'Shaun Edwards
