Who are the rookies you need to know?
Missouri football players are expected to report for fall camp this upcoming weekend, meaning talking season is just about finished. The Tigers will stage a number of important position competitions over the course of the ensuing weeks, including at quarterback and left tackle, leading into their season-opener Thursday, Aug. 28 against Central Arkansas.
The Tigers signed the nation’s No. 20-ranked Class of 2025, adding 17 freshmen to the roster for the upcoming campaign.
Mizzou burned the redshirts of five rookies last season, which indicated Eli Drinkwitz and company are plenty happy to field their first-year players.
Here are five true freshmen who we think could earn playing time for the Tigers in 2025:
Donovan Olugbode, wide receiver
As much as we expect marquee transfer Kevin Coleman Jr. and returners Marquis Johnson and Joshua Manning to take the bulk of the reps for Mizzou at wideout, there’s room for some competition here.
And Olugbode — who is listed at 6 foot 2, 207 pounds — appears to have put himself in as good of a spot as any of MU’s freshmen for offensive reps.
“Been impressed with our freshmen. Donovan (Olugbode), I think, really stood out in a positive way, big-time catch radius,” Drinkwitz said after spring camp April 8. … “He will push Marquis and Josh and (James Madison II) to be a force on the outside.”
Javion Hilson, defensive end
Hilson was a top-50 recruit in his signing class, and his late pledge to the Tigers last December appears to have been predicated on the potential for immediate playing opportunities.
Mizzou is strong at defensive end. Damon Wilson II, Darris Smith, Zion Young and Nathan Johnson all should find their way onto the field frequently.
Hilson, who is listed at 6-4, 246 pounds, is a player who could find himself in that…
Source link : https://www.columbiatribune.com/story/sports/college/tiger-extra/2025/07/22/true-freshmen-who-could-earn-playing-time-for-missouri-football/84387330007/
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Publish date : 2025-07-22 08:04:00
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