20d ago football Edit

Expectations for Missouri freshmen based on fall camp

Jarod Hamilton • PowerMizzou

Staff Writer

The Tigers closed the book on fall camp earlier this week and now their sights are set on Murray State, the Tigers’ Week 1 opponent they'll host on Aug. 29.

The three weeks of camp have allowed the Tigers to fill a few starting roles and the two-deep, but 23 freshmen participated in their first fall camp and some of them could be seeing action on Saturdays.

We'll predict what you can expect from Mizzou freshmen based on what we heard and saw during camp.

QB Aidan Glover: The only scholarship freshman quarterback on the team, the three-star did get a little extra seasoning by participating in spring ball but he will almost certainly redshirt as long as Brady Cook, Drew Pyne and Harold Blood are healthy.

RB Kewan Lacy: The four-star out of Lancaster (Tex.) is someone the team likes but with Nate Noel and Marcus Carroll taking a bulk of the snaps, Lacy will be waiting behind them, Jamal Roberts and Tavorus Jones for carries. He's likely to redshirt, however, if games versus the likes of Murray State, Buffalo and UMass go the way Mizzou hopes they do, Lacy might get on the field for those games.

RB Austyn Dendy: Dendy came to the school as an ATH and was placed with the safeties for the first week of camp before being moved to the running back room. He caught Drinkwitz's eye with how he played in the second scrimmage rushing for about 80 yards. Considering the depth of the position. and Dendy being new to the position, he's in the same boat as Lacy to redshirt.

WRs Courtney Crutchfield and James Madison: These two are grouped because they share a lot of similarities. They're both four-stars, they're both taller wide receivers at 6-foot-2 (Crutchfield) and 6-foot-3 (Madison), respectively, and they both also participated in the punt returner position battle.

Each player had a really solid camp where they did what they were asked and did it well. They can be good players down the line, but they're in the deepest position group on the team. The team's top seven receivers are back and all of them have strong arguments for a starting or an increased role. Both of these players likely redshirt unless they find roles on special teams.

TEs Whit Hafer and Jude James: A couple of three-star signees, Hafer already has the size to make it in the SEC at 6-foot-7 and 255 pounds, while James has looked like a great H-back option for the team down the line. Probably when he puts a little more weight on. He's currently 6-foot-2 and 211 pounds.

Both got a lot of reps during fall camp with Brett Norfleet, Jordon Harris and Tyler Stephens missing time due to injury, but head coach Eli Drinkwitz said in his final fall camp presser they’re bordering on skipping the redshirts.

"I think Whit Hafer and Jude James did an excellent job of maximizing the reps," Drinkwitz said. "I don't know if that means they'll play any more than their four games, but it's definitely put themselves in a position. I think Whit is a guy who really maximized his opportunities, and him and Jude got in with the ones and didn't flinch, they were able to go in there and perform.Obviously, there were things they've got to improve on, but I was really impressed with how they handled it."

Jayven Richardson: Richardson comes to Mizzou via the JUCO route and made a name for himself this offseason by competing with Marcus Bryant for the starting left tackle spot. The three-star sophomore did lose out to Bryant but Drinkwitz was pleased with his performance in camp. The 6-foot-6, 303-pounder can play multiple spots on the line and he's an ideal candidate for the swing tackle spot.

Caleb Pyfrom: Pyfrom is a three-star from Omaha Central (Neb.) and has position flexibility. He played at right tackle in high school but is capable of lining up elsewhere on the offensive line. He came to the school as an early enrollee, and at the end of the first week of fall camp Drinkwitz mentioned him as a player he's seen take a nice developmental leap from spring ball to the fall. He will likely redshirt with the experience and depth for this group but by all accounts he's off to a decent start.

Talan Chandler: Like Pyfrom, Chandler was a freshman Drinkwitz mentioned as a freshman who has improved significantly from spring ball. The three-star in-state product played center in his last year of high school, but the year before that he racked up over 130 pancakes playing left guard. So, he's another utility player on the line, however, he will likely redshirt as well.

Ryan Jostes: A legacy player following in the footsteps of his grandfather Randy Jostes, Ryan Jostes is a three-star who was also an early enrollee. He’s a tackle that has some tight end ability to him, but this is a developmental year for Jostes. So, the in-state product will likely redshirt, too.

DE Jaylen Brown: A three-star signee, Williams would be the pick of the four freshmen defensive linemen to be the one most ready to play. He's very strong and has caught the eye of a lot of his fellow EDGEs. Both Eddie Kelly and Johnny Walker have praised him for his brute strength with the latter calling him a "violent defensive end." He’s a bit raw and due to the depth in front of him, he won't be a strong part of the rotation but the Tigers will likely try to give him a chance to play during the non-conference schedule to see some game action if the starters take care of busy early.

DE Williams Nwaneri: The nation's No. 8 overall prospect in the class of 2024 and Missouri's only five-star of the class, Nwaneri will play some this year. At 6-foot-6 and 265 pounds his body is already built for the SEC but he's a very raw product in a deep room. He has plenty of potential and is uber-athletic but in a deep defensive end room, he will have limited chances to show what he can do. That's not a bad thing, though. Drinkwitz and Co. would prefer for Nwaneri to improve at a steady pace with no expectations to have to play now because of his five-star status. Whether he redshirts or not depends on how his development goes throughout the season. But we’d lean towards not redshirting.

DT Elias Williams: Williams signed with the team as a four-star EDGE but was moved to defensive tackle to start camp. It would be a surprise to see him not redshirt considering Kristian Williams, Marquis Gracial, Chris McClellan and Sterling Webb occupy the top four defensive tackle spots. They'll make up the rotation, while Jalen Marshall and Sam Williams are in line after them.

DT Justin Bodford: One of three St. Thomas Aquinas signees, Bodford will likely redshirt for the same reason Williams will. It'll be a developmental year for the three-star signee.

LB Jeremiah Beasley: We're grouping Beasley into this even though he wasn't a part of the signing class. The four-star signed with Michigan and participated in spring ball with the Wolverines before transferring to Mizzou. During camp, Drinkwitz said Beasley is someone who has "easily" stood out and can find a role on special teams. He won't see many defensive snaps but carving this role out despite being in spring camp for another program is an accomplishment.

LB Brian Huff: A three-star signee, Huff will be an outside linebacker but this will likely be a developmental season for him as Triston Newson, Khalil Jacobs and Brayshawn Littlejohn sit ahead of him at WILL specifically.

LB Nicholas Rodriguez: One of the team's five four-star signees, Rodriguez is in the same boat as Huff. He will likely be redshirting as he learns behind a veteran-laded group.

CB Trajen Greco: A three-star signee, Greco seems like the most likely freshman to play a regular role on special teams. Drinkwitz has mentioned him several times as a player who has stood out. If he is what Marvin Burks, was last year, he will be a core four special teamer. He also could be in line for the CB5 role

CB Cameron Keys: Keys has had plenty of buzz dating back to spring ball. He's one of the faster guys on the team and he's stood out for being a physical tackler despite his small stature at 6-foot and 166 pounds. He's still developing so unless he finds a special teams role he probably won't see much game action.

CB Jaren Sensabuagh: The son of former NFL safety ,Gerald Sensabaugh, will likely be redshirting this year given the depth in front of him. Also, the fact that he didn't participate in spring ball like Keys did means he's got to catch up to Greco and Keys. Let alone the other corners ahead of him on the roster.

S Jackson Hancock: It'll likely be a redshirt season for Hancock as he learns behind Burks, Joe Charleston, Daylan Carnell, Tre'Vez Johnson, Sidney Williams, Phillip Roche and Caleb Flagg.