After another successful portal window, Mizzou fans are expecting another big year.
One month ago today, it was reported that Williams Nwaneri — former five-star recruit and prize of the 2024 high school recruiting class — was leaving Missouri after just one season. It was a shock that hit Mizzou’s fanbase just days into the portal window, portending ill tidings for the Christmas season.
Things got… maybe not easier from there, but Tiger fans certainly had more to celebrate. Despite losing Nwaneri and a few other promising young players to the portal, Mizzou’s staff also recovered to put together one of the best football transfer classes in the nation, landing up-and-coming stars like Ahmad Hardy and Josiah Trotter, while also adding proven veterans like Jalen Catalon and Kevin Coleman.
Earlier this week, we asked y’all if you were happy with the way Eli Drinkwitz and Co. navigated the portal window considering all the adding and subtracting that happened. The answer? It was resounding!
That’s pretty definitive, wouldn’t you agree? And it’s hard to argue with on a quantitative basis. On3 estimates that Mizzou has gained $2.8 million in NIL value while also putting together the 2nd best class in the country, while 247 Sports ranks Mizzou’s transfer class as 11th best in the nation.
Whatever way you slice it, Mizzou traded a lot of potential for even more production, putting them squarely back in the College Football Playoff conversation for 2025. At least, that’s how it feels right now. What say you?
More than two-thirds of the fanbase expecting a win total commensurate to a playoff bid? Looks like Eli Drinkwitz has raised the stakes around here!