Johnnie “DJ” Jones was a four-star offensive tackle from Venice, Florida, and is a freshman at the University of Missouri. In the summer, the Tigers football team was doing freshman intake and revealed a heart issue that Jones had.
The staff observed Jones for two weeks, but “they weren’t getting the resolution that we wanted,” Missouri Head Coach Eli Drinkwitz said on Tuesday.
Drinkwitz continued to say that the team went in search of a second opinion and sent Jones to Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, one of the campuses for the nationally acclaimed Mayo system.
“We sent him to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, and discovered a much more significant issue,” Drinkwitz said. “And then last week we found out that Jonnie’s now on a heart transplant list.”
Jones is still at Mayo Clinic, and Drinkwitz said, “Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family as they go through this.”
Eli Drinkwitz Shouts Out Johnnie Jones Following Upset Over Florida
The Tigers dominated the Florida Gators to the tune of a 45-17 victory, and Drinkwitz mentioned Jones during his postgame interview with Kris Budden. “I want to give a shoutout to Johnnie Jones,” Drinkwitz said. “DJ, we love you, man. We’re praying for ya. We’ll see ya.”
The Tigers got the news about their teammate during the week and went out to put on a show for their Homecoming crowd on Saturday. Missouri played with extra weight on their hearts against Florida, and they gave Jones a performance he won’t forget.
Eli Drinkwitz Asks For Prayers For Johnnie Jones
Jones was initially a UCLA commit before flipping his commitment last year to Missouri. He’s a talented left tackle, with grades from 247 Sports that suggest he could be an eventual player on Sundays in the NFL.
Drinkwitz was visibly struggling with emotion when addressing the media with the update about Jones’ condition.
“I know Johnnie was watching our game. It’s just hard, an 18-year-old with everything in front of him, and you’re just not prepared for that kind of news,” Drinkwitz said. “Our team wasn’t prepared for that kind of news, but we’re praying for him, and I know a lot of Mizzou fans will hopefully join in that prayer because he does need help in a hurry. We’re pulling for you, buddy.”
The emotional ending to Drinkwitz’s press conference was full of raw emotion and genuine concern for Jones and his family.
Mizzou Freshman Johnnie Jones Requires Heart Transplant