What Williams Nwaneri's commitment means for Mizzou football

Two years ago, it was Luther Burden. On Monday, Eli Drinkwitz did it again.

Drinkwitz proved he had the chops as an elite recruiter when he landed Burden, the five-star game offensive game-changer from the greater St. Louis area, away from the jaws of Georgia.

This time, he landed the five-star defensive game-changer in Williams Nwaneri from Lee's Summit away from the jaws of Georgia and Oklahoma.

Drinkwitz really has some chutzpah.

In landing Nwaneri, it proves Drinkwitz has the elite recruiting abilities to keep landing five-star prospects. Nwaneri is the second Drinkwitz has landed during his tenure, and that number might grow to three depending on where five-star receiver Ryan Wingo decides to play college football later on.

But, that's just what it means for Drinkwitz's recruiting resume.

Nwaneri's commitment also means Missouri's defense, which finished in the top half of the SEC in 2022 and saw standout Isaiah McGuire get drafted by the Cleveland Browns, gains a can't-miss prospect on its defensive line.

"There's just not many kids like him," Lee's Summit North head coach Jamar Mozee said. "Just being honest, physically, the way he's made, the way he's built, he's different than everybody I've ever seen."

Nwaneri joins the 2024 MU recruiting class that already includes four-star linebacker Nicholas Rodriguez and four-star defensive back Cameron Keys. The future of Missouri's defense had plenty of potential before Monday; now, that potential skyrockets.

MU defensive ends coach Kevin Peoples gets a player that can not only rush the passer but can also find the football. In his 2022 season at Lee's Summit North, Nwaneri totaled 56 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 12 sacks and six pass breakups.

Nwaneri is a player who will have the ability to affect the program from the moment he steps on campus. He said Monday that MU is getting a player that will work consistently for the Tigers' program.

"A player that they can count on," Nwaneri said. "Just a player that's gonna show up every day, give a hundred percent."

Burden was the second-best player to ever commit to MU when he pledged in 2021, according to 247Sports. Now, Burden is the third-best player to commit to MU behind Nwaneri and receiver Dorial Green-Beckham. Nwaneri is graded as the best defensive player to ever commit to MU.

Nwaneri will have the chance to be MU's best defensive player since Nick Bolton, and MU's best defensive lineman since Sheldon Richardson.

The anticipation for Nwaneri is already palpable. Drinkwitz tweeted, or posted on X, after Nwaneri's commitment a video of Bolton at the Chiefs' Super Bowl championship parade asking the crowd "Can I get a big ol' M-I-Z?"

Although Nwaneri won't join the Tigers until 2024, that defensive unit will already boast a talented lineup.

MU will have four-star safety Marvin Burks patrolling the secondary with a year of experience, a young but talented linebacker corps led by Dameon Wilson and much, much more that will eventually arrive in the transfer portal.

That defensive unit will help lead the Tigers into a new-look SEC when Oklahoma and Texas join the conference starting in the 2024 season. That competition was a factor in drawing Nwaneri to MU.

"It was very important," Nwaneri said. "I feel like this is the best of the best competition."

Beyond the competition factor, there's also the NIL factor that helped draw Nwaneri to MU. It's proof that Missouri's NIL faction not only gets the attention of the top-rated players but can draw them in over the blue-blood programs of college football.

Now the onus is on Drinkwitz to develop Nwaneri into the player that has the potential to be a first-round NFL Draft pick. 247Sports compares Nwaneri to Tyree Wilson, a top-10 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft from Texas Tech that played defensive end.

If Nwaneri can tap into that potential, it could greatly affect the future of MU football. Much like Burden, who provided jolts of energy for the Tigers' offense in his freshman season, Nwaneri can do the same for the Tigers' defense.

It could mean more players like Nwaneri noticing Missouri as a program that can land talent, develop it and send it to the next level.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: What Williams Nwaneri's commitment means for Mizzou football