Fans and recruiting observers are paying particular attention to how Missouri head coach Eliah Drinkwitz fares with in-state recruiting in this 2021 class. The first-year Tigers head coach made a big statement on Thursday when he landed a commitment from four-star defensive end Travion Ford out of St. Louis (Mo.) Lutheran North.

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Lutheran North head coach Carl Reed has coached some of the St. Louis area’s top defenders in recent classes, including four-stars Ronnie Perkins, Itayvion Brown and Antonio Doyle. He likes the fit of Ford going to Missouri for both parties.

“I think it is an excellent fit for him from a schematic standpoint, and I also think it’s huge for the state and recruiting for the state of Missouri,” Reed commented. “Coach Drink has really put an emphasis on local recruiting and he’s brought a lot of excitement here. The kids seem to be buying what he’s selling.”

An undersized, but athletic defensive end, Ford has been extremely productive in his high school career. This past season, as a junior, he tallied 62 total tackles, including 20 for loss and nine sacks.

“Travion is an elite defensive player,” Reed said. “He is very explosive off the ball and probably has the quickest first step off the ball out of any kid that I’ve coached. He’s an elite pass rusher and also has the athletic ability to cover some of the underneath stuff if you want to use him in that role. I think he is going to be an immediate impact guy in college.”

That type of production generated more than 30 scholarship offers from programs across the country representing each of the Power Five conferences. Official visits had been planned with Illinois, Louisville and Missouri this spring, but the NCAA mandated recruiting shutdown canceled those plans.

Ford is the seventh commitment for Missouri in the 2021 class, and the fifth from inside the Tiger’s state border.