Jahkai Lang is Mizzou's second 2023 commit
There's plenty of work left to be done in the 2022 class, but Mizzou is off to a strong start in 2023 already. Troy Buchanan defensive lineman Jahkai Lang committed to the Tigers on Friday morning. Lang joins Brett Norfleet on Mizzou's 2023 commit list.
Even though the first part of the 2022 class just signed this week, Lang saw no need to wait.
"When you feel, it you feel it," Lang said. "It’s like a spark. If you really want to change something, you got to get in there early and I think I can recruit some other guys."
Lang claimed 11 offers and had Kentucky and Wisconsin in the mix with Mizzou. But his visits to campus and relationship with D.J. Smith and the Tigers' staff won out.
"Every time I went up there, ever time I visited, it felt like home," Lang said. "They do a really good job of making you feel like it’s home."
Lang is the No. 10 player in the initial 2023 Missouri rankings according to Rivals.com. His commitment continues a strong local performance from Eli Drinkwitz since he took the job. Drinkwitz's first class featured seven St. Louis area players and eight in-state prospects. On Wednesday, he signed ten in-state (or nearby) players, including four from Kansas City and four more from St. Louis. It's a trend that's been noticed by Lang and his fellow future prospects.
"I’ll be honest, it’s really important," Lang said. "Marquis (Gracial), I train with him all the time seeing him go there, when he could have gone to Bama or anywhere, Luther Burden, seeing that. You see those guys, they can go anywhere in the country and they go to Mizzou, it shows you something."
Lang, listed at 6-foot-4, 240 pounds, had 51 tackles, six sacks, a fumble recovery and an interception in helping the Trojans to a 10-3 season in 2021. He said the Tigers' staff wants him to play defensive end in their 4-2-5 scheme. He said he will mostly play as a down lineman, but has the ability to stand up at times as well.
"I think I’m pretty fast," Lang said. "I’ll beat a lot of people with speed on the pass rush."
Lang is currently rated as the 24th-best weakside defensive end in the country.
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