It’s already been a jam-packed month for the Tigers and there are still three weeks left in December.

It was announced that the Tigers were going to the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 3.

The next day, running back Cody Schrader was awarded the Burlsworth Trophy, given to the nation’s best former walk-on.

On Dec. 5, Schrader and four others were named to the All-Southeastern Conference first team, with a couple more making the second team.

On Dec. 6 head coach Eli Drinkwitz was named Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year and on Dec. 8, it was revealed Schrader finished eighth in Heisman voting.

So, with 19 days until the bowl game and 21 days until the final day of the year, let's look at some things that still need to be decided.

We know the team the Tigers will be facing Ohio State on Dec. 29 in Arlington, Texas at AT&T Stadium. But who will suit up for them come game time?

Since the inception of the College Football Playoffs a decade ago, the Buckeyes have appeared in the CFP five times. They’re used to playing for all the marbles, but since they missed out on the playoff this year, it seems likely that some of their key players will bypass the Cotton Bowl and either enter the transfer portal or declare for the NFL Draft.

So far, 14 players have entered the portal including starting quarterback Kyle McCord and starting receiver Julian Fleming, as well as second-string running back Chip Trayanum.

McCord's entry into the portal was a bit of a surprise. The former five-star prospect completed 65.8% of his passes for 3,170 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions in his first year as a starter.

Fleming was second in snaps among Ohio State receivers behind Harrison with 502 and finished the year with 26 receptions for 270 yards.

Trayanum served as the team's power back in short-yardage situations and was a big help in the run game alongside starter TreVeyon Henderson. The former Arizona State running back recorded 85 carries for 373 yards and three touchdowns.

To be honest, the Buckeyes will have to worry about more of theirtalented players deciding to declare for the draft.

Receivers Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka as well as Henderson are likely candidates to opt-outs on the offensive side of the ball, while defensive backs Jordan Hancock, Lathan Ransom and Denzel Burke, as well as defensive linemen like J.T. Tuimoloau are candidates on the defensive side of the ball.

The Tigers on the other hand expect all but three players to be available in the bowl game. The three players haven’t been revealed but are believed to be three players who have entered the transfer portal and declined Drinkwitz's option of participating in the bowl game even if they’ve already entered the portal.

Two more players that are questionable for the game are star cornerback Ennis Rakestraw and All-SEC second-team linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper.

Rakestraw only played nine games during the regular season due to a nagging groin injury.

He’s racked up 35 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, four pass deflections and a forced fumble.

The 6-foot, 188-pound cornerback has allowed 18 receptions on 28 targets for 197 yards and a touchdown.

Rakestraw didn’t play in the team’s regular-season finale against Arkansas, but by game day he will have had over a month off since his last in-game action. So, he may want to suit up in what will likely be the final game of his Tigers career about 30 minutes away from where he played high school ball at nearby Duncanville.

If he doesn’t suit up, it’ll be Dreyden Norwood who starts in his place. Norwood has had a good season as the Tigers' No. 3 cornerback and has started in three games this season already.

The former Texas A&M Aggies has recorded 17 tackles, three pass deflections and a forced fumble. Norwood is also expected to compete for one of the starting spots next year if (and likely when) Senior Bowl players Rakestraw and Kris Abrams-Draine declare for the NFL Draft as anticipated.

Hopper has missed the last two contests due to an ankle injury. Of the two, he is the one Drinkwitz seemed a little more optimistic about playing.

"I expect Ty’Ron 一 you know he’s working his way back,” Drinkwitz said on Sunday minutes after the bowl announcement. “I’m not going to put any pressure on him but we’ve got a long way to go before we play.”

Hopper recorded 55 tackles, six tackles for loss, three sacks and three pass deflections.

The transfer portal opened on Monday and so far it has been relatively slow for the Tigers. They have had seven players enter the portal but only one, linebacker Dameon Wilson, saw the field. He recorded two tackles in six games.

Missouri does have some portal shopping to do, though.

The Tigers will be losing first-team All-SEC running back Cody Schrader and running back Nathaniel Peat. Both players will not have any eligibility after this season concludes. So, Mizzou will probably need to get at least two running backs.

Missouri is going to need to get offensive linemen after three of its top six linemen run out of eligibility in left tackle Javon Foster, left guard Xavier Delgado and swing tackle Marcellus Johnson depart. The Tigers will probably need at least two offensive linemen.

The team did already get one huge addition in the portal at a position of need with former Clemson cornerback Toriano Pride committing on Dec. 6. The former four-star prospect and St. Louis native will fill one of the spots left by the likely departures of Abrams-Draine and Rakestraw.

Last season, Pride recorded 14 tackles and had four pass deflections.

He will join Norwood, Marcus Clarke, Shamar McNeil, Nicholas DeLoach and incoming freshman Cameron Keys in the cornerback room but he's expected to compete for a starting role next year.

Hopper, Wilson and Chad Bailey leave vacancies at the linebacker spot, so there’s room to add at least one more or perhaps a couple more players at that position.

The biggest vacancies will come from the defensive line with the departures of Jay Jernigan, Josh Landry, Realus George and defensive ends Darius Robinson and Nyles Gaddy.

Jernigan, Landry and George made up 75% of the team’s defensive tackle rotation, while Robinson, a first-team All-SEC selection, was the team leader in sacks (seven) and tackles for loss (12), with Gaddy tied for second in sacks with four.

The Tigers will bring back defensive tackles Kristian Williams, Marquis Gracial, Jalen Marshall, Sam Williams, Ky Montgomery and incoming freshman Justin Bodford.

Johnny Walker will be spearheading the returners at defensive end and be joined by Joe Moore, Austin Firestone, Serigne Tounkara, Jahkai Lang, Jaylen Brown, Elias Williams and the No. 3 overall recruit in the nation, Williams Nwaneri.

Overall, the Tigers could take nine or 10 more transfers during this portal cycle.

Currently, the Tigers have the 38th-ranked class in the nation with 16 total recruits led by Nwaneri but they aren't done yet.

The Tigers hosted commits Ryan Jostes, Jaylen Brown, Whit Hafer and Talan Chandler for official visits this weekend. They also hosted Duke transfer defensive lineman Aeneas Peebles.

Propsects Courtney Crutchfield, Austyn Dendy, Kavion Broussard, Caleb Pyfrom, Jaren Sensabaugh and Trajen Greco will be taking official visits from Dec. 15-17.

Crutchfield is a four-star receiver from Pine Bluff (Ark.), the same school as freshman tight end Jordon Harris, and is a former Arkansas commit. The 6-foot-3 receiver had 42 receptions for 930 yards and 13 touchdowns this fall.

Dendy committed to Missouri in late September and is viewed as an athlete who could play safety, wide receiver or running back.

On offense, he recorded 13 carries for 240 yards and five touchdowns. He also added 32 receptions for 466 yards and six touchdowns.

Defensively, he had 16 tackles, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble.

Broussard is a 6-foot-7 tackle out of Zachary (La.). The three-star prospect is currently a Miami commit but he visited Missouri over the summer and received an offer in August.

The Tigers seem to have the inside track to Pyfrom, a three-star Central (Neb.) offensive lineman who was recently committed to Illinois.

Greco is a three-star athlete out of Mill Creek (Ga.). The 6-foot-2 Greco received an offer from Missouri last month after he recorded 41 receptions for 549 yards and 10 touchdowns in his senior campaign. He also had 10 carries for 107 yards and a touchdown.

On defense, the former Georgia Tech commit recorded 25 tackles.

Sensabaugh, a three-star athlete out of Ensworth (Tenn.) is the son of former NFL safety Gerald Sensabuagh. Jaren was a Vandy commit and received an offer in mid-November. He’s looking like a potential flip candidate.

For more info on these players, check out the Chamber.

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