Missouri freshman offensive tackle Johnnie “DJ” Jones has been hospitalized and placed on the heart transplant list at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, coach Eli Drinkwitz said Tuesday.
AP reports Missouri staff initially detected an issue with 18-year-old Jones’ heart over the summer during freshman intake testing, an emotional Drinkwitz said at a news conference in Columbia, Missouri.
The team’s medical staff consulted the Mayo Clinic for a second opinion when they weren’t getting a resolution or answers after two weeks of observation.
Doctors at the clinic detected a much more serious heart problem, Drinkwitz said, and it needed immediate action.
The coaching staff was told last week Jones needs a heart transplant, the AP report sets out.
The seventh-year coach added the shock has impacted everyone and prayers have been called for from Mizzou fans and coaching staff alike:
We found out that Johnnie’s now on a heart transplant list, and he’s in Mayo, and it’s tough right now. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family as they go through this.
You’re just not prepared for that kind of news. Our team wasn’t prepared for that kind of news. We’re praying for him.
Jones was considered one of the top offensive tackles from Florida in last year’s recruiting cycle, the Kansas City Star notes.
The four-star recruit is a native of Bradenton, Florida, and was among the top-300 recruits across various outlets at six-foot-6, 315 pounds.
He was part of Berkeley Prep’s 2023 FHSAA Class 2M state championship, the first in program history.
The former basketball player later transferred from the Tampa Bay-based school to Venice High, where he helped the Indians reach the FHSAA Class 7A state semifinals as a senior, the outlet’s report noted.