Mizzou beats out Illinois, others for commitment from 2027 East St. Louis DB
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Since taking over at Missouri prior to the 2020 season, Eli Drinkwitz has continually made local talent a priority when it comes to high school recruiting.
Many years later, that reality still stands true, and Saturday provided just the latest example.
According to On3’s HayesFawcett, Drinkwitz & Co. landed a commitment from Class of 2027 safety Jabari Lofton, with the 6-foot-3 prospect stating: “Locked in. 100% committed to the University of Missouri.”
Lofton is a product of East St. Louis High School in Illinois, the same program that produced current Chicago Bears wide receiver Luther Burden as well as a host of other star athletes in the past.
Prior to playing for East St. Louis, Lofton played at Hazelwood in Missouri, where he played both quarterback and safety.
The rangy safety chose Mizzou over offers from the likes of nearby Illinois, Purdue, Kansas State, Florida State, Miami and Kansas.
Lofton becomes the second member of the Tigers’ 2027 recruiting class. According to 247Sports, the 3-star safety joins fellow 3-star quarterback Braylen Warren in the group.
Mizzou’s 2026 class ranked 26th overall in the nation and only included one safety prospect. The program did bring in a trio of safeties via the transfer portal.
Parker is currently the sports editor for the Enterprise-Journal in McComb, Mississippi. He's a graduate from Mizzou who has experience covering the Tiger football and basketball beats for SB Nation, and he's worked for a variety of sports news outlets in the past.
