2027 IOL Lual Aleu commits to Mizzou after Junior Day visit

Missouri kept it rolling in the 2027 class.

The Tigers received the commitment of Cincinnati (Ohio) Winton Woods interior offensive lineman Lual Aleu. The three-star made his first unofficial visit to campus for Junior Day during spring practice Saturday.

“That really just shows loyalty and how much they’re bought into me,” Aleu said about the Missouri staff’s recruiting efforts in November. “It’s really almost the entire stuff (that reached out). That’s what really stuck out to me.”

Aleu marked the second pledge for the Tigers in the past two days. He joined East St. Louis (Ill.) three-star safety Jabarri Lofton, who announced his commitment Saturday evening. Missouri received its first Class of 2027 pledge from Omaha (Neb.) Westside quarterback Braylen Warren in December.

After missing previous visits, including the Alabama and Texas A&M games this past season, Aleu made up his mind on his first trip to Columbia. The 40th-ranked Ohio recruit — who Missouri offered in January 2025 — scheduled his official visit with the Tigers for June 5-7.

“I saw that another couple of their offensive linemen are making big names for themselves,” the 6-foot-5, 295-pound Aleu said. “They’re obviously doing something right, and I’ve been watching their games. The offensive line’s doing pretty good. So that just shows a lot about their coaching.”

Offensive line coach Brandon Jones has put an emphasis on interior linemen in the 2027 class. The staffer — who signed five recruits in the 2026 class — has also targeted four-stars Gus Corsair and Kyler Kuhn. But Aleu marked the first domino to fall at the position group.

“With my game, I feel like I improved tremendously,” Aleu said in August, “in my body developing, being stronger, faster, more athletic, pad level, hip mobility and just being a leader.”