Charles Hicks does have some experience with Missouri football. It’s not a night Mizzou fans remember fondly, but Hicks was a redshirt freshman at Wyoming in 2019 when the Tigers suffered a 37-31 stunner to open the season in Laramie.
“I was on special teams that game,” Hicks said. “It was definitely an experience for sure, but obviously I was a little nervous at the end of the game because they were driving right down the field to score. I never would have thought that I would be on the team.”
But that’s exactly where Hicks finds himself now. The redshirt sophomore put his name in the transfer portal on Monday afternoon and committed to Missouri on Thursday night.
“I just realized Monday Wyoming wasn’t a fit for me and I had to take the risk, take the chance to go in the portal even though I know it’s hectic right now,” he said. “It had me nervous, I’m not gonna lie.”
That night, he got a call from Mizzou defensive coordinator Steve Wilks. He also talked with Eli Drinkwitz and defensive line coach Jethro Franklin in the days after.
“They told me the real story,” the 6-foot-3, 230-pound Hicks said. “They said they needed a linebacker and I was really excited about that. They talked about how they would coach me and that’s the way I want to be coached. They really kind of made me feel secure about going there since day one.”
Hicks said he got some calls from other schools, mostly Wyoming opponents in the Mountain West. But most of those schools wanted him to come in for the spring semester. Missouri wanted him right away. And so it was that he committed to the Tigers on Thursday night and answered the phone while driving through Nebraska in the middle of an 11-hour drive from Laramie to Columbia. Hicks said he hopes to start practice this week with the Tigers, but he’ll have a number of things to get settled when that drive ends. Because he missed the July 31 deadline to enter the portal and be eligible this year, Missouri would have to have a waiver approved by the NCAA for Hicks to be eligible to play in 2021.
“Either way it plays out I’m gonna be okay with,” he said. “I’m coming in to learn playbook and learn the system, coming in to work. Obviously I’d love to play but either way will be okay.”
Hicks had 27 tackles, 3.5 for a loss, two sacks and an interception while starting five of Wyoming’s six games in the COVID-shortened 2020 season. He said Missouri hasn’t clarified whether they want him to play inside or outside linebacker, but he’s comfortable at either spot.
“They told me they liked the way I plan in general,” Hicks said. “I’m a physical player. One of the coaches knew my high school head coach and he put a good word in for me kind of confirming how I play. I play hard every time, my character’s good, I understand defense, I learn fast. I’m older now so I’m going to be able to pick things up faster than if I was a freshman.”
In all likelihood, he’ll have a year to learn while he sits out this season. Because he already redshirted in 2018, Hicks will have two years of eligibility remaining beginning in the 2022 season assuming his waiver is not approved. If he were to get approval on that waiver, he could play three seasons. But Missouri’s first game is just eight days away and Hicks isn’t even on campus yet. Regardless of when he plays his first game, he’s looking forward to the fresh start.
“I’m expecting a better environment,” he said. “I came from a big city. Wyoming, it’s a very small town, 30 thousand people, now I’m going to an actual city with a lot of people, a lot of students. I feel like it’s gonna be kind of a step up for me culture wise.”
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