香港三级片

COLUMBIA, Mo. 鈥� Missouri football has entered its 鈥減roduction over potential鈥� era, as coach Eli Drinkwitz labeled the shift during a winter transfer window that saw some of the program鈥檚 most heralded prospects depart.

Along with hopes of playoff contention, the 2024 season dawned with hope for a talented freshman class. Youngsters like Williams Nwaneri, Kewan Lacy, Courtney Crutchfield and Jaylen Brown had enough recruiting stars to seem like potential immediate contributors.

Yet on the whole, they weren鈥檛. True freshmen played just 97 offensive snaps and 225 defensive snaps. Linebacker Nicholas Rodriguez 鈥� who鈥檚 back for 2025, it鈥檚 worth noting 鈥� played the most with 75 snaps. And even then, he had the 23rd-most of any defensive player.

It seems increasingly clear that the ability to retool with upperclassmen or graduate transfers each offseason has rendered high school recruitment less valuable. Mizzou signed 17 freshmen in the 2025 class, for example, but brought in 22 transfers. As recently as 2023, there were 19 freshmen and 11 transfers.

Though it might not pack the top-end punch of the 2024 class or the overall breadth of past classes, there are a few 2025 freshmen who鈥檝e paved the way to real playing time this fall. Three true freshmen in particular seem poised for roles this season and a chance to show they can provide both production and potential for the Tigers.

Javion Hilson, defensive end

Defensive end is up there with the deepest positions on the MU roster, even after two outgoing transfers this spring due to how clogged up the pipeline to snaps on the edge is. A factor in how that room is shaping up is freshman Javion Hilson.

鈥淎s a true freshman early enrollee, (he) has earned an opportunity to find a role,鈥� Drinkwitz said earlier this spring.

Hilson was a four-star recruit from Cocoa, Florida, who signed with Mizzou not long before the buzzer sounded on the 2025 cycle. At 6-foot-4, 235 pounds, he has a build that should ease his transition to the Southeastern Conference. His twitch and flexibility already have recruiting analysts suggesting he鈥檒l be an early NFL draft selection in a few years鈥� time.

Missouri had a premier edge rusher prospect last year, though, and Nwaneri hardly saw any playing time 鈥� 38 snaps, to be exact 鈥� before transferring. Will Hilson be any different?

Internal moves after spring practice make it seem like he will be. Eddie Kelly Jr. and Jahkai Lang, two more experienced defensive ends, hit the portal, which could be an indicator Hilson would鈥檝e been superseding them in the hierarchy. Top-end edge talent like Zion Young, Damon Wilson II and Darris Smith makes it unlikely Hilson starts, but there very well could be a spot in the rotation for him.

Marquise Davis, running back

Another addition from late in the 2025 recruiting cycle could be on the field this season: Marquise Davis, a four-star running back from Cleveland, Ohio.

Drinkwitz called him an 鈥渆xcellent runner鈥� and 鈥渁 guy who is going to have an impact as a true freshman,鈥� which by itself merits Davis鈥� inclusion on this list.

His 5-foot-11, 205-pound build looks like that of a bruiser 鈥� not a scant freshman. That ought to help him absorb the blows necessary to make an immediate impact in the SEC.

The backfield is wide open, too, with Nate Noel, Marcus Carroll and Lacy out of the picture. 香港三级片iana-Monroe transfer Ahmad Hardy is in line to receive the most touches, and third-year tailback Jamal Roberts has the most MU experience.

Davis seems likely to land at worst third in the running back pecking order, which would still be good for some carries. With the right kind of display in early action, that could become more.

鈥淢arquise is going to be a good player for us, too,鈥� Drinkwitz said.

Donovan Olugbode, wide receiver

Another position group that turned over heavily in the offseason presents a path for another four-star freshman: wide receiver Donovan Olugbode, who hails from Chicago but spent his high school career at IMG Academy in Florida.

Mizzou鈥檚 top three wideouts are almost certain to be Kevin Coleman Jr. in the slot with Marquis Johnson and Joshua Manning on the outside. But it鈥檚 also a near certainty that another three or so receivers will get a chance to run some routes. Could Olugbode be one of them?

鈥淏een impressed with our freshman Donovan (who) I think really stood out in a positive way. Big-time catch radius. I know y鈥檃ll saw the one-handed catch on Twitter, but that wasn鈥檛 new to anybody. Pretty much every practice, he was making wild plays. He will push Marquis, Josh and Prez (James Madison II) to be a force on the outside.鈥�

At 6-foot-1, 203 pounds, Olugbode is more of a big-bodied target who would fit naturally as cover for Manning, who鈥檚 of a similar build.

Two more freshmen to follow in 2025, with the caveat that there would need to be a couple of injuries or preseason camp blunders ahead of them to really see a role: offensive lineman Henry Fenuku, who filled in well during his first spring, and East St. 香港三级片鈥� CJ Bass III, who is on track to be the third option at Missouri鈥檚 hybrid safety position.