A former blue-chipper coming from the tight end factory in Des Moines? Yes, please.
Tell me something: Is a recruiting class complete unless Eli Drinkwitz has his “tight end of the future”? It’s sort of the like the forest falling in the tree question, you know the one.
While the staff already felt good about landing Dakotah Terrell in the 2025 high school recruiting class, they saw an opportunity to elevate the talent on the roster through Iowa’s Gavin Hoffman, a former blue-chip TE and consensus Top 250 recruit in the 2024 high school class.
Hoffman’s arrival marks a bright future for the position under Eli Drinkwitz, who has shown a preference for tough blocking and athletic tight ends who give the offense a different dimension.
Where he fits: Mizzou is looking at a tight end shortage in a year or two when Brett Norfleet goes pro or exhausts his eligibility and Vince Brown II graduates. Alongside Dakotah Terrell, Hoffman fits nicely as Mizzou’s next wave of dual threat tight ends. Knowing the staff, these won’t be the last two additions to the roster in this position, but Hoffman represents the future of the position in Drinkwitz and Kirby Moore’s offense.
When he’ll play: Never say never when it comes to blue-chip tight ends and Eli Drinkwitz, but 2025 likely won’t be Hoffman’s breakout. With Norfleet returning as one of Beau Pribula’s top targets and Brown transferring in as an experienced secondary option, Hoffman’s snaps will likely be limited to garbage time. Not to say those aren’t valuable, and Norfleet’s injury history always opens the possibility for extra playing time to emerge. But Hoffman will have plenty of competition from other young tight ends on the roster.
What it all means: It’s noteworthy to see Drinkwitz pull a former blue-chipper away from the tight end factory that is Iowa, given his propensity to use the spring portal to shore up the immediate needs of the roster. While it likely doesn’t mean much for the immediate future, the staff identified a need for high-ceiling talent at a key position and took advantage of an opportunity to fill it. Maybe Hoffman doesn’t pop in 2025, but this could look like a steal in two years.