Video: Jakailin Johnson highlights Watch Missouri's No. 1 recruit in 2019 action.
Most of Missouri's best high school football players line up in the trenches.
Of the Top 20 from the Class of 2021, according to 247Sports, six play on the defensive line and three more play on the offensive line. Three each play either running back or wide receiver.
Clearly the state's elite like playing in their home state, as six have committed to the University of Missouri. Only one college has thus far claimed more than one of Missouri's Top 20 and that's Iowa State with two. Fifteen of the 20 have already made college pledges, a high percentage for any state.
The other big trend among the best senior players, is where they come from. A staggering six come from De Smet Jesuit (St. Louis), which went 14-0 last season and was easily the No. 1 ranked team in the state.
See the complete Top 20 as compiled by 247Sports below.
Bill Jackson, of Cardinal Ritter, is one of the top running backs in the state and committed to Tulsa.
File photo by David Smith
6-foot | 170 pounds | cornerback | Ohio State commitThe fourth best corner in the nation and No. 43 recruit overall, has a great burst to the ball and shows great ball skills. He earned 25 college offers thus far, picking Ohio State over such schools as Clemson, Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame and Oklahoma.
2. Gabriel Rubio, Lutheran (St. Peters)
6-6 | 290 | DT | Notre DameThe son of former NFL defensive end Angel Rubio, Gabriel is considered athletic enough to play the same position as his father. He has received 20 college offers thus far, but picked the Fighting Irish over such schools as Cal, Georgia, LSU, Minnesota and Ohio State.
3. Travion Ford, Lutheran North (St. Louis)
6-4 | 232 | DE | MissouriReally emerged onto the recruiting scene after a monster sophomore season which featured 82 tackles, 17 sacks and four forced fumbles. Has piled up a whopping 33 college offers, but picked Mizzou over Ole Miss, Alabama, Arizona State, Florida State, Ohio State and Texas, among many others.
4. Connor Tollison, Jackson (Jackson)
6-5 | 300 | OT | MissouriRanked the 29th best tackle in the country, Tollison chose Missouri over 19 other offers, including Alabama, Indiana, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Texas A&M.
5. Brody Wisecarver, De Smet Jesuit (St. Louis)
6-4 | 317 | OG | IllinoisAnother big body from the St. Louis area has the body to star at the next level. Picked Illinois over Arizona, Iowa State and Kentucky, among others.
6. Beau Stephens, Blue Springs
6-6 | 320 | OT | IowaYet another big boy from The Show Me state, Stephens' recruiting got very heavy after the New Year, with offers from Michigan (Jan. 28), Minnesota (Feb. 21), Texas A&M (Feb. 21) and Indiana (April 7) before committing to the Hawkeyes on April 23.
7. Demetrius Cannon, Trinity Catholic (St. Louis)
6-3 | 205 | WR | LouisvilleGreat length and size and built like a linebacker, Cannon is very good in traffic, making tough grabs. He picked Louisville over Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana and Kansas, among others.
8. Tobechi Okoli, Lincoln College Prep (Kansas City)
6-5 | 250 | DE | UndecidedA rapidly growing recruit, which is directly related to how he's grown both physically but as a player. He's played the game for only a short time. He's piled up 23 offers, including Auburn, Georgia, Kansas State, Kentucky and Michigan, which appear to be his favorites.
9. Tyler Hibbler, Trinity Catholic (St. Louis)
5-11 | 183 | S | MissouriA physical, hard-hitting safety, Hibbler has no trouble mixing it up in the box. He picked the Tigers over 19 other offers, including Arkansas, Iowa State, Louisville, Michigan State and Washington State, among others.
10. Taj Butts, De Smet Jesuit (St. Louis)
5-11 | 205 | RB | MissouriRanked the No. 41 running back in the country, has been very productive over two seasons with 2,008 rushing yards in just 228 carries to go along with 31 touchdowns. He picked the Tigers over Illinois, Indiana, Iowa State and Kentucky, among others.
11. Jermaine Hamilton-Jordan, Lincoln College Prep (Kansas City)
6-1 | 195 | LB | ArkansasA three-year starter thus far, Hamilton-Jordan has a great nose for the ball. Offers started rolling in since March 27 with North Dakota State, followed up by Akron (March 30), Northern Illinois (April 2) and Kentucky (April 15) before committing to Arkansas on May 3.
12. Rico Barfield, De Smet Jesuit (St. Louis)
6-0 | 215 | RB | UndecidedLed his team to a 14-0 record and state championship in 2019, which led to nine college offers thus far, including Kansas, Purdue, Iowa State, Washington State and Ball State. He rushed for 1,148 yards and 18 touchdowns last season.
13. Howard Brown, Lincoln College Prep (Kansas City)
6-2 | 288 | DT | Iowa StateWith all that size, was previously a quarterback who has superb speed and agility. He picked Iowa State over Kansas, Missouri State, Northern Iowa and Tulsa, among others.
14. Ryan Hoerstkamp, Washington
6-4 | 225 | TE | MissouriThe top-rated tight end in the state and No. 47 nationally, Hoerstkamp piled up 16 offers, but picked the Tigers over Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Michigan State and Texas Tech, among others.
15. Bill Jackson, Cardinal Ritter College Prep (St. Louis)
5-10 | 195 | RB | TulsaHis recruiting picked up at the start of the year when Kansas offered on Jan. 23, followed by Northern Iowa (March 30), Tulsa (April 7) and Central Michigan (April 8). He committed to Tulsa on May 14.
16. Kaden McMullen, Living Word Christian (O'Fallon)
6-3 | 182 | QB | UndecidedThe only quarterback in the group, McMullen has been extremely productive, throwing for 4,784 yards and 43 touchdowns over two seasons. He has seven offers, including Alabama A&M, Idaho, Missouri, Northern Illinois, Northern Iowa and UNLV.
17. Chevy Brenson, Christian Brothers (St. Louis)
6-4 | 195 | WR | UndecidedHis last offer appears the strongest, as Illinois offered on June 12. A big and physical receiver, Brenson got four more offers all on May 22, from Southern Illinois, Austin Peay, Missouri State and Army. He's got 21 offers overall, including Western Michigan and Northern Iowa.
18. Mekhi Wingo, De Smet Jesuit (St. Louis)
6-0 | 280 | DT | MissouriOne of six De Smet players to make the MaxPreps All-State team, Wingo has 13 college offers, but picked the Tigers over Arkansas, Iowa State, Kansas and Kansas State. He had a whopping 15 sacks to go along with 97 tackles for the state champions.
19. Jaylin Noel, Park Hill (Kansas City)
5-11 | 170 | WR | Iowa StateDid it all for Park Hill with 42 catches for 769 yards and also rushed 45 times for 251 yards and three scores. He has 14 offers, but committed to Iowa State on May 31 over schools like Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas.
20. Dakota Doyle-Robinson, De Smet Jesuit (St. Louis)
6-1 | 270 | DT | BaylorRacked up 15 college offers, but picked Baylor on May 31 over other offers from Arkansas State, Bowling Green, Michigan State and Washington State.
