How Toriano Pride has made case to start in Missouri football’s secondary

Missouri football, as Tigers assistant Al Pogue put it, lost a lot of mileage at cornerback.

The Tigers are tasked with replacing two NFL-bound corners, Kris Abrams-Draine and Ennis Rakestraw Jr., from their 11-2, Cotton Bowl-winning 2023 team. That’s a combined eight seasons and 63 games of college ball leaving Columbia.

It’s not an easy ask for Mizzou to quickly replace that experience. But the 2024 squad appears, upon early indications, to be in good hands.

Literally.

During Missouri’s Black & Gold spring game Saturday on Faurot Field, St. Louis native and Clemson transfer Toriano Pride Jr., playing in front of MU fans for the first time, made a quick impression.

In man coverage against eventual spring-game offensive MVP Joshua Manning, Pride went leaping for quarterback Brady Cook’s deep ball targeted at the receiver outside of the numbers on the left side of the field. The coverage was exemplary. Pride’s leaping frame completely blocked the view of Manning, who dragged the corner to the ground but did nothing to prevent what was done.

In his first taste of live football in front of fans on Faurot, Pride intercepted the pass — the two-handed, no-juggling, no-doubter variety of pick.

“They tried to go big fade ball to the field,” linebackers coach D.J. Smith said after the spring game, “(but) Toriano Pride’s a gamer, man. … It’s good to have him here.”

Clemson cornerback Toriano Pride Jr. talks with media during a midweek press conference at the Smart Family Media Center in Clemson Monday, October 9, 2023.

Pride is the former teammate of star wide receiver Luther Burden III at East St. Louis High. He was the second-ranked prospect out of Illinois in the Class of 2022 — second behind Burden.

The Clemson transfer played 26 games over two seasons for Dabo Swinney’s team, making three starts. He…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/toriano-pride-made-case-start-080834438.html

Author : Columbia Daily Tribune

Publish date : 2024-03-19 08:08:34

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