3 Mizzou Football Players Entering Make-Or-Break Seasons

QB Sam Horn

Sam Horn is entering the second starting competition of his career after missing all of last season as he recovered from Tommy John surgery. Being able to play both on the football field and on the baseball diamond was a significant part of Horn's decision to come to Missouri, but he ultimately hasn't been able to play a ton on either.

If he can't beat out Penn State transfer Beau Pribula for the starting job this offseason, Horn likely won't be given another chance next year unless Pribula declares for the NFL draft a year early.

Horn was a four-star prospect out of high school though, rated above Pribula in the class of 2022. But there's also the lingering question of if there will be any lingering effects from his surgery. He went almost a whole year without throwing a football, but was able to return to practices near the end of last season.

"I thought he took advantage of his rehab reps in bowl practice and really continued that throughout spring," head coach Eli Drinkwitz said April 9. "I thought he managed the offense well, led really well, made good decisions — solid decisions — obviously bounced back when he would make a mistake, didn’t let it carry over."

RB Jamal Roberts

Jamal Roberts has been mentioned by the coaching staff as a standout of fall camp in each of his first two seasons with the Tigers. That earned him a role as a third-down specialist and pass protectionist in 2024, but now is Roberts' time to become a key contributor for Missouri.

"Last year, really embraced that third-down back, two-minute back, blitz pickup," offensive coordinator Kirby Moore said of Roberts during a spring press conference. "He's just an unbelievable teammate, embracing his role."

Transfer addition Ahmad Hardy fresh off a 1,351-yard freshman season with Louisana-Monroe, will presumably be the feature back for Missouri. But, Roberts has shown enough to deserve a solid portion of the carries too.

In the wings behind him are two freshmen — Marquise Davis (a four-star) and Brendon Haygood (a three star). Davis could make a case for himself to earn opportunities at some point during his first year.

Roberts took 53 carries for 216 yards. He's shown the potential to be more than just a situation-specific player, now is his time to earn those opportunities.

DL Marquis Gracial and Jalen Marshall

Similar to Roberts' situation, these two defensive tackles from the class of 2022 have shown potential in smaller roles, but now have the chance to establish themselves as key contributors.

"Challenging both Jalen Marshall and Marquis Gracial to take that next step," Drinkwitz said. "They've been in the rotation and kind of waiting their turn. We don't need them to wait any longer. It's their time to play."

Both Marshall and Gracial took 15% of defensive snaps last season, according to Pro Football Focus.
With Kristian Williams out the door, this duo is by far now the longest-tenured defensive tackles on the roster.

Last season, Missouri consistently rotated five defensive tackles through the lineup. These two will undoubtedly earn playing time of some sort, but the door is open for them to earn more opportunities than just the 15% of snaps they played in 2024.