Missouri continues stacking talent in its 2026 recruiting class, their latest addition coming from three-star cornerback Jaxson Gates, who flipped his commitment from BYU to Mizzou after taking an official visit with the Tigers in September.
The three-star talent from Damien (Calif.) was originally offered by Missouri back in the middle of June. While he was intrigued with his SEC offer, he opted to go ahead and commit to BYU, a program he took an official visit with in the summer. Gates also took summer officials with Syracuse, Utah, and Michigan State. He was briefly committed to the Orange at one-time.
Missouri didn't waver from their interest in Gates, who finally made the trek to campus for their win against UMass in September, which helped solidify his commitment.
"Just the overall culture and how inviting everyone was," Gates said on what stood out during his Mizzou visit. "I got to talk with Coach (Al) Pogue one of the most authentic coaches I've talked to."
Gates with more on his relationship with Missouri cornerbacks coach Al Pogue.
"I like the southern hospitality definitely with him being from alabama and he is big on development and tries to stay away from the transfer portal which is rare especially in the SEC. His coaching style is great. It seems as if he has a good relationship with all the players, really. I liked their warm up routine and how they prepare. From the way the guys moved you could tell he's a good developer."
With Gates in the fold, Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz is hoping to build a gateway to land more talent in The Golden State.
"Coach Drink's message to me was basically just that he wants me and wants to start building the California pipeline."
Gates checks in at 6-foot-1, 175-pounds and has clocked a 10.3 in the 100-meters and a 22.9 in the 200-meters. During his junior season, he recorded 30 tackles with six pass break-ups.
So far this season, Gates has recorded 17 tackles and one pass break-up in five games played.
Gates becomes the 21th commitment for Missouri in their 2026 recruiting class. He is the fifth defensive back commit, joining Tony Forney, Carter Stewart, Brody Jones , and Ahmod Billins.