3 minSports
Missouri Freshman Lineman DJ Jones Recovering After Heart Transplant
Missouri freshman offensive lineman Johnnie "DJ" Jones is recovering after a successful heart transplant, coach Eli Drinkwitz announced. The 18-year-old was hospitalized at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, while awaiting the procedure.
Missouri freshman offensive lineman Johnnie «DJ» Jones is recovering after undergoing a successful heart transplant, Tigers coach Eli Drinkwitz announced Thursday. In a social media post, Drinkwitz said the surgery went well and that Jones was recuperating.
«We are incredibly grateful for the medical team who cared for DJ and for the donor and donor family whose extraordinary gift made this possible,» the seventh-year Missouri coach wrote.
The news capped a months-long medical ordeal that began during routine freshman intake testing over the summer, when Missouri's staff first identified a problem with Jones' heart. Drinkwitz said earlier this week that the team's medical staff sought a second opinion at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, after two weeks of observation failed to produce a resolution or clear answers.
Doctors at the Mayo Clinic then detected a much more serious heart problem, according to Drinkwitz. The coaching staff was informed last week that the 18-year-old Jones needed a transplant. He had been hospitalized at the Mayo Clinic while awaiting the procedure.
Jones graduated from Venice High School on Florida's Gulf Coast and signed with Missouri as a four-star recruit. He is listed as an offensive lineman on the Tigers' roster.
The transplant marks a significant turn in a story that had been closely followed within the program since the summer. Drinkwitz's public updates have provided the main window into Jones' condition, with the coach describing both the initial detection of the heart issue and the decision to seek specialized care at the Mayo Clinic.
Missouri enters Week 6 of the college football season with a 4-1 record and is set to host a game in Columbia on Saturday. The Tigers' on-field schedule continues while Jones remains in recovery, and the program has not announced a timeline for his return to any team activities.
Heart transplants are relatively rare among young athletes, and the case has drawn attention because Jones' condition was discovered through mandatory screening rather than any reported symptoms. Drinkwitz's account indicated that the initial concern emerged from standard intake testing, not from an injury or episode during practice or competition.
The donor and donor family were singled out in Drinkwitz's statement, a recognition that transplant recipients and their families often extend to the organ donor's loved ones. The coach's message did not include additional details about the donor or the timing of the surgery beyond saying it went well.
For Missouri, the development closes one chapter of uncertainty that had stretched from summer testing through the early weeks of the season. Jones, a Florida native, had been expected to begin his college career with the Tigers before the medical issue intervened.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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