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COLUMBIA, Mo. – The Stephens Indoor Practice Facility will be a busy place on Friday. Sixteen former University of Missouri football student-athletes will participate in the program’s NFL Pro Day, working out for what figures to be a large contingent of NFL representatives in anticipation of the NFL Draft, which kicks off April 25.
Next month, Mizzou has a chance to set a program record if eight or more players are selected in the draft. The modern-day Mizzou draft record is seven, set in 1981 — MU also had seven players drafted in 1943 when there were fewer teams in the league and 32 rounds in the draft — and based on all-star game invites and NFL Scouting Combine participation, eight seems certainly possible this year.
What does Mizzou’s loaded draft class say about the program’s reputation for producing NFL talent?
“Obviously that will be the spin on it, that we’re a developmental program,” Tigers coach Eliah Drinkwitz told reporters this week, “and that, obviously, Coach (Ryan) Russell, is instrumental in our success as an organization as a program what he does, not only from a mental performance training, but from athletic performance training. (That) cannot be undersold. Ryan Russell is the foundation of this program, and I think he deserves all the credit in the world.
“But I do also think that it is a direct reflection of those players’ internal motivation to be successful. We just were able to get a little bit out of them. But those guys, Kris Abrams-Draine, I mean, you talk about a guy with a competitive spirit and a stubborn refusal to quit. Obviously one of my first viral moments here was Ennis Rakestraw committing and going crazy — and if you look back at all the different comments that people made about my reaction, “three star this” and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, to see what Ennis Rakestraw has become, you’d like to go back and just tag tweet everyone one of them, but you don’t. Darius Robinson, Ty’Ron Hopper, Cody Schrader, Realus George, Jayden Jernigan, Javon Foster, Harrison Mevis, all of those guys, every one of them, Xavier Delgado, all of those guys’ story is unique. And it’s gonna be great for all of them to get their opportunity. But it’s less about me and it’s less about our organization and it’s more about them and their ability to achieve at a high level and refuse to give in to disappointment or adversity.”
One of those former Tigers continues to build his case as a first-round selection. That would be Robinson, the two-time captain, All-Southeastern Conference defensive lineman and, potentially, one of the best stories of the draft’s first round. Why’s that? This year the draft will take place in … Detroit, Robinson’s hometown.
#Mizzou DL Darius Robinson, whose Pro Day is Friday, recently visited the #Steelers, source said. He continues to be a player to watch after impressing at the Senior Bowl and Combine. Robinson has 20 Top 30 visits and private meetings scheduled with teams prior to the draft. pic.twitter.com/nWzI9sMCdj
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 21, 2024
Along with the aforementioned former Tigers, also expected to work out Friday will be offensive lineman Marcellus Johnson, running back Nathaniel Peat, defensive linemen Nyles Gaddy and Josh Landry, linebacker Ben Straatmann and safety Jaylon Carlies.
Pro Day look ??#MIZ ???? pic.twitter.com/I9znCzkArs
— Mizzou Football (@MizzouFootball) March 20, 2024
“MIZZOU STORYTELLERS”
If you missed Saturday’s live “Mizzou Storytellers” pregame podcast at the Black and Gold Spring Game, you can listen here or watch the video below. We visited with a couple former Tigers: wide receiver Barrett Banister and quarterback Corby Jones.
Also, here’s a Mizzou Morning Matters Happy Birthday to my podcast co-host, Nikki Barry, who’s in New Orleans for the SEC Gymnastics Championship. Bring back some beignets for next week’s episode, Ms. Barry.
“COME HOME TOUR” RETURNS
Hopefully, you saw the news Wednesday that Mizzou Athletics is headed back on the road this spring for the third annual “Come Home Tour” with seven stops planned — six around the state of Missouri and another in Dallas, Texas. The first stop along the tour is April 11 in Sedalia. The events are free for fans, but we ask that fans please register here online before the event(s) they plan to attend.
(For fans of “Mizzou Storytellers,” we might treat you to a live road version of the podcast at some of the stops along the tour.)
Here’s the full slate of tour stops:
April 11 – Sedalia: Lamy’s, No. 5 Bistro & Bar, 108 W Pacific St., Sedalia, Mo., 65301
April 15 – Kansas City: Chicken N Pickle, 5901 W 135th St., Overland Park, Kan., 66223
April 16 – Jefferson City: Capital Bluffs Event Center, 1616 Oilwell Rd Ste B, Jefferson City, Mo., 65101
April 17 – Springfield: Oasis Hotel & Convention Center, 2546 North Glenstone, Springfield, Mo., 65803
April 23 – Dallas, Texas: Chicken N Pickle, 4600 Merlot Ave., Grapevine, Texas, 76051
May 1 – Moberly: Moberly Municipal Auditorium, 201 W Rollins St., Moberly, Mo., 65270
May 9 – St. Louis: Chicken N Pickle, 1500 S Main St., St Charles, Mo., 63303
NEW SATURDAY LIDS?
What did we think of the new-look helmets for Saturday’s Black and Gold Game?
???????????? ???????? lids ?? #MIZ ???? pic.twitter.com/8ynOVocuxM
— Mizzou Football (@MizzouFootball) March 16, 2024
2025 SEC FOOTBALL FOES ALL SET
Any changes to the Southeastern Conference football schedule model will have to wait beyond 2025. The SEC announced the 2025 conference schedule format this week — and the lineup of opponents will look familiar: In 2025, every team will play the same eight SEC opponents it plays in 2024 with the locations flipped from home to road and vice versa.
Dates are not finalized, but that means in 2025, Mizzou will play host to Alabama, Mississippi State, South Carolina and Texas A&M. In 2025, the Tigers will travel to Arkansas, Auburn, Oklahoma and Vanderbilt. It will be Mizzou’s first visit to Norman, Oklahoma, since 2011. Each SEC program is required to play one opponent from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 or major independent. In 2025, the Tigers are scheduled to host a Big 12 team from a town in the state west of Missouri.
“We continue to monitor changes across college sports as they relate to future scheduling,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said. “Continuing with our current format for the 2025 season provides additional time to understand the impact of the changes happening around us as we determine the appropriate long-term plan for SEC football scheduling.”
IT JUST MEANS MOORE
Jocelyn Moore is steadily making a case to become the most accomplished and decorated Mizzou gymnast in program history. The junior became the first Tiger ever — ever! — to earn a 10.0 score in multiple events during the course of her career when she secured a perfect score on the floor Sunday at Illinois. Last season, Moore captured a 10.0 on the vault in a home meet against Auburn. Moore’s 10 on Sunday was Mizzou’s first ever — ever! — in the floor exercise event. Think about all the brilliant gymnasts to come through the program over the years. Julie Dorn. Mary Burke. Sarah Shire. Alisha Robinson. Adrianne Perry. Lauren Schwartzman. And Moore is the first with a 10.0 on the floor and multiple 10.0s overall. And she’s just a junior.
???????????? ???????????????? ??@jocimoore became the first gymnast in program history to hit a perfect 10 on floor AND the first to achieve perfection on multiple events!#MIZ?? pic.twitter.com/sxUeNA7kHO
— Mizzou Gymnastics (@MizzouGym) March 20, 2024
Moore and her teammates compete in the afternoon session (2:30 p.m.) of the SEC Championship on Saturday at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans on SEC Network. The No. 13 Tigers will begin on the bars and compete alongside No. 12 Arkansas, No. 14 Auburn and No. 18 Georgia.
Sweet dreamin’ of SEC Championships ?#MIZ?? pic.twitter.com/5bS7n7sxcV
— Mizzou Gymnastics (@MizzouGym) March 22, 2024
BOUNCE-BACK CHANCE FOR SOFTBALL
After a road victory Wednesday against fictional birds who inexplicably wear shoes, Larissa Anderson’s No. 15 Mizzou softball team (23-6, 2-4 SEC) faces another weekend challenge with No. 2 Louisiana State (24-2, 4-2) visiting Columbia.
Coach Anderson did not pull any punches in diagnosing her team’s struggles in last weekend’s series sweep at Tennessee.
“Really, really tough weekend because we were exposed,” she said this week. “So I’m not gonna sit up here and sugarcoat anything other than we were exposed. We needed to play better. We didn’t really put any of the pieces together. Our pitching got hit really hard. I felt like our defense fell apart. And that’s usually the strength of our team. We didn’t make plays when we needed to. When you’re playing against a top 10 team you can’t give them more than three outs. There were some innings we were giving them five, six, seven outs because we weren’t making plays behind our pitching staff. And then offensively, they have an unbelievable pitching staff and when you’re facing a pitcher with a sub 1.0 ERA, you’re not going to have many opportunities to be able to score. When you’re giving off the crooked number in an inning it’s kind of demoralizing. … The good thing is we were exposed at this point in the season. We know what we need to work on. We’ve got to get to work.”
TIGER TRIVIA
Q: What is the single-game Mizzou scoring record in the NCAA Tournament for both Mizzou men’s and women’s basketball?
LOOKING AHEAD
Friday, March 22
No. 10 Wrestling at NCAA Championships, 11 a.m., 7 p.m. (Kansas City)
Tennis vs. South Carolina, 1 p.m.
No. 15 Softball vs. No. 2 LSU, 5 p.m., SEC Network+
Baseball vs. No. 25 Kentucky, 6 p.m., SEC Network+
Saturday, March 23
No. 10 Wrestling at NCAA Championships, 11 a.m., 6 p.m. (Kansas City)
No. 15 Softball vs. No. 2 LSU, 2 p.m., SEC Network+
No. 13 Gymnastics at SEC Championships, 2:30 p.m., SEC Network (New Orleans)
Baseball vs. No. 25 Kentucky, 3 p.m., SEC Network+
Sunday, March 24
Men’s Golf at The Hootie at Bulls Bay (Awendaw, South Carolina)
Baseball vs. No. 25 Kentucky, 11 a.m., SEC Network
Tennis vs. Florida, 11 a.m.
No. 15 Softball vs. No. 2 LSU, 1 p.m., SEC Network+
Monday, March 25
Men’s Golf at The Hootie at Bulls Bay (Awendaw, South Carolina)
Tuesday, March 26
Men’s Golf at The Hootie at Bulls Bay (Awendaw, South Carolina)
Softball vs. Fordham, 1 p.m. (Hempstead, New York)
Softball at Hofstra, 3:30 p.m. (Hempstead, New York)
Baseball vs. Illinois, 6 p.m., SEC Network (Sauget, Illinois)
Wednesday, March 27
Men’s Swimming & Diving at NCAA Championships, 10 a.m. (Indianapolis)
Thursday, March 28
Men’s Swimming & Diving at NCAA Championships, 10 a.m. (Indianapolis)
Softball at George Mason, 3 p.m. (Fairfax, Virginia)
Baseball at No. 3 Vanderbilt, 6 p.m., SEC Network+ (Nashville)
Friday, March 29
Men’s Swimming & Diving at NCAA Championships, 10 a.m. (Indianapolis)
Women’s Golf at Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic (Athens, Georgia)
Track and Field at Florida Relays (Gainesville, Florida)
Track and Field at Stanford Invitational (Palo Alto, California)
Tennis at Kentucky, 4 p.m. (Lexington, Kentucky)
Baseball at No. 3 Vanderbilt, 6 p.m., SEC Network+ (Nashville)
TIGER TRIVIA
A: The Mizzou men’s basketball NCAA Tournament single-game scoring record is 43 points by 2024 SEC Legend Willie Smith on March 20, 1976 vs. Michigan.
The Mizzou women’s basketball NCAA Tournament single-game record is 35 points by Sophie Cunningham on March 17, 2018 vs. Florida Gulf Coast. (Tiger Trivia Extra: Can you name the current Tiger who appeared in that game for Florida Gulf Coast? That would be Director of Development Alyssa Blair, who came off the bench in the final minute for the Eagles.)
GET YOUR 2024 SEASON TICKETS NOW
Mizzou opens the 2024 football season Aug. 31 against Murray State at Memorial Stadium. The Tigers also host home games against Southeastern Conference opponents Vanderbilt, Auburn, Oklahoma and Arkansas, plus nonconference contests against Buffalo and Boston College. Purchase your 2024 season tickets now by calling 1-800-CAT-PAWS or buying online.
Those interested in learning how to support Mizzou Athletics can contact the Tiger Scholarship Fund Office at 573-882-0704 and visit www.tsfmizzou.com.
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