Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz says freshman Johnnie ‘DJ’ Jones receives a heart transplant

Mike Lang/Sarasota Herald-Tribune/USA Today Network/Imagn Images

Missouri freshman offensive tackle Johnnie “DJ” Jones has received a heart transplant, coach Eli Drinkwitz said.

Drinkwitz announced on X on Thursday morning that the surgery Wednesday went well and that Jones was recovering.

“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,” Drinkwitz wrote.

Drinkwitz said at a news conference Tuesday that Jones was hospitalized at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, where he was awaiting the transplant.

Missouri staff first found an issue with Jones’ heart over the summer during freshman intake testing, Drinkwitz said earlier this week.

The team’s medical staff sought a second opinion with the Mayo Clinic when they weren’t getting a resolution or answers after two weeks of observation.

Doctors at the Mayo Clinic detected a much more serious heart problem, Drinkwitz said. The coaching staff was told last week that Jones needed the transplant.

The 18-year-old Jones graduated from Venice High School on Florida’s Gulf Coast and signed with Missouri as a four-star recruit.

Mike Lang/萨拉索塔先驱论坛报/今日美国网络/Imagn Images

密苏里大学新生进攻截锋约翰尼·“DJ”·琼斯接受了心脏移植手术，教练伊莱·德林克维茨表示。

德林克维茨周四早上在 X 频道宣布，周三的手术很成功，琼斯正在康复中。

“我们无比感激照顾 DJ 的医疗团队，以及捐赠者和捐赠者家属，正是他们非凡的捐赠才使这一切成为可能，”德林克维茨写道。

德林克维茨周二在新闻发布会上表示，琼斯在佛罗里达州杰克逊维尔的梅奥诊所住院，等待移植手术。

德林克维茨本周早些时候表示，密苏里州的工作人员在夏季新生入学体检时首次发现琼斯的心脏有问题。

经过两周的观察，球队的医疗人员仍未得到诊断结果或答案，于是向梅奥诊所寻求第二意见。

德林克维茨说，梅奥诊所的医生发现琼斯的心脏问题远比这严重得多。教练组上周被告知，琼斯需要进行心脏移植手术。

18 岁的琼斯毕业于佛罗里达州墨西哥湾沿岸的威尼斯高中，并以四星级新秀的身份与密苏里大学签约。