During his freshman season, Mark Manfred got his wakeup call pretty early.

Lining up in a scrimmage against Kennesaw (Ga.) North Cobb, which deployed multiple Division-I targets, Manfred went for a tackle and whiffed. The wide receiver caught a five-yard hitch route and exploded for a 70-yard touchdown.

Manfred returned to the sideline, knowing exactly what he needed to work on.

"I remember him coming off the field going, 'Oh my gosh, this is so much faster than what I expected,'" Marietta (Ga.) Sprayberry coach Brett Vavra said. "Like, man, welcome to varsity football. You better get ready. And I think that moment right there fueled him, made him grow up in the moment."

Manfred stepped into a two-way role down the line in his high school career. He put an emphasis in constant development, and with his evident love for practice, he was tabbed a "gym rat" by his coaches.

"The best way I could describe Mark is he's a dog," Vavra said. "He's one of those that you you want on your side, because he's so competitive. He wants to compete in everything he does."

When practices were slowed down for walk throughs, Manfred still kept his quick tempo in everything he did. He strived to get that same level of energy out of his teammates as well.

Manfred worked the hardest against Jorden Edmonds, a Class of 2026 four-star athlete. On top of trying to get his teammate to join him at Missouri, Manfred sought out the best in his fellow two-way standout.

"When we've got our first-team defense out there, one of them will go to offense, so they can compete against one another, and then they'll flip halfway through," Vavra said. "Once again, Mark just bringing out that competitive element of his teammates."

Physicality defined Manfred's play at the high school level. Improvements in speed and explosiveness contributed to growth in tracking balls in the air and making adjustments on the fly.

"This season, he hasn't been as productive in terms of defensive production," Vavra said. "Because people are just refusing to throw the ball his direction. He's so good that they don't even want to take a chance."

While in line to play cornerback at Missouri, Manfred also has the skill set to play wide receiver, amounting nearly 900 yards his senior season.

Missouri arrived later in Manfred's recruitment than other programs. Tigers assistant head coach and cornerbacks coach Al Pogue offered the Class of 2025 defensive back in April 2024, building a strong relationship with the three-star corner and his mother.

"Mark was very methodical about how he went about his recruiting process and his recruitment," Vavra said. "I think him getting up on campus and seeing what the campus was like, seeing the football facilities, being around the other players, being around the coaching staff and Coach (Eli) Drinkwitz. He felt a sense of family, and he felt a sense of just belonging."

Vavra thought Manfred was going to end up at another program, given relationships his player built, but he knew Manfred -- who will enroll in January -- felt like Missouri was the best opportunity for him to develop into an NFL-caliber player.

"I am the only corner committed to Missouri, so that means something," said Manfred, who signed with the Tigers on Wednesday. "They're expecting me to come in there and be ready to play. ... I'm excited to show the world what I can do because I feel like I'm underrated."