Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz delivered heartbreaking news Tuesday when he said freshman offensive tackle Johnnie “DJ” Jones is on a heart transplant list in Florida.
Drinkwitz said the issue surfaced after Jones arrived in Columbia over the summer. Missouri’s staff identified a heart problem, then monitored him for two weeks before sending him to the Mayo Clinic’s Jacksonville campus for further testing.
“We weren’t getting the resolution that we wanted,” Drinkwitz said.
That evaluation led to a more serious diagnosis. Drinkwitz said doctors found a “much more significant issue,” and Jones was placed on the transplant list last week. He remains at the clinic.
“It’s tough right now,” Drinkwitz said, pausing several times as he spoke. “Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family as they go through this.
I know Johnnie was watching our game. ... It’s just hard.
“An 18-year-old with everything in front of him. You’re just not prepared for that kind of news.
Our team wasn’t prepared for that kind of news. But we’re praying for him, and I know a lot of Mizzou fans would hopefully join in that prayer because he does need help, in a hurry.
“We’re pulling for you buddy.”
Jones, a native of Bradenton, Florida, was one of the top offensive tackles in Florida in last year’s recruiting cycle. The four-star prospect was listed by various outlets among the top 300 recruits and checked in at 6-foot-6, 315 pounds.
Before coming to Missouri, Jones was part of Berkeley Prep’s 2023 FHSAA Class 2M state championship team, the first title in school history. He later transferred from the Tampa Bay-area school to Venice High, where he helped the Indians reach the FHSAA Class 7A state semifinals as a senior.
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Missouri Freshman DJ Jones Faces A Far Bigger Fight Than Football
Missouri freshman offensive lineman DJ Jones has spent this season dealing with something far bigger than the normal grind of a college football fall. Jones underwent a heart transplant and is recovering, coach Eli Drinkwitz said, after preseason evaluations uncovered a significant heart problem that sent him to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida.
Jones has not played this season and remains away from the team while Missouri continues its games, a reminder that his journey is now measured in medical updates rather than reps or snap counts. For a freshman trying to begin his college career, the focus has shifted entirely to recovery, and the Tigers are left pulling for a much more important comeback than anything on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou Fans Finally Got The Update They Needed On DJ Jones
Missouri fans got the update they had been hoping for on freshman offensive tackle Johnnie DJ Jones, who recently underwent a successful heart transplant and is now recovering. The need for the procedure was discovered during the Tigers freshmen intake, turning what should have been an ordinary start to college football into a deeply personal medical battle for one of the programs newest players.
Jones was treated at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., where the care team and donor family drew gratitude from coach Eli Drinkwitz and the Missouri community. For a team and fan base that had been following the situation closely, the news brings a measure of relief, even as Jones begins the long next stretch of recovery. [Read more 🡒]
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The challenge changes quickly now, with Texas A&M bringing a different kind of problem to the table in quarterback Marcel Reed. Eli Drinkwitz and Missouris players have been stressing sound tackling and clean execution as the week goes on, because the front seven will need to carry over the same urgency against a much more mobile threat and do it without any drop in focus. [Read more 🡒]